


The King of Balam

by Semper_Sehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Assassins & Hitmen, Dragons, EXO Have Powers, Eventual Romance, Fantasy, Friends to Lovers, Multi, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Oral Sex, Slow Burn, Smut, exo are royals, well mostly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2019-09-17 13:54:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 89,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16975830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semper_Sehun/pseuds/Semper_Sehun
Summary: When Sehun, the King of Balam, invites the rulers of the other six kingdoms that make up the Korean peninsula to negotiate a peace treaty, he doesn’t expect it to be easy. However, he certainly doesn’t anticipate dragon eggs, a hired assassin that’s out to take him down and an attractive, new personal guard that’s following him like his shadow. While Sehun has to deal with moody queens and flirty kings, he’s trying to find out who desperately wants to see him dead, which turns out to be more difficult than he’d originally anticipated.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my beta reader Alex!
> 
> Balam – Wind  
> Bul – Fire  
> Mul – Water  
> Him – Strength/Earth  
> Bihaeng – Flight  
> Beongae – Lightning  
> Eoleum – Ice  
> Mipung – Breeze (Capital of Balam)
> 
> all names stem from Korean vocabulary

**The Legend of the Seven Kingdoms**

 

Once upon a time, the earth was filled with magic.

It filled the air that the humans breathed, it was in the water that ran through the countries in small and large, calm and rapid rivers. It burned in the fires that the humans warmed themselves with and it was rooted in the grounds in which they sowed their crops. It grew in the humans that lived in the villages, the cities and in the woods, and it filled them with power from within.

The way the magic manifested in the humans was very different and not every human was gifted with it. Some of them developed strength, bodies and minds of steel. Others grew their crops with the help of the rain, filling the clouds with heavy drops whenever they needed it. Some could make fire, and they used it to forge metals and warm their houses. Another group of people rose into the sky, gliding through the air like birds but they weren’t in need of wings. Others whispered sweet nothings to the wind, to grind their grains in the mills while some froze their foods to preserve them for harder times. And some could even make lightning their weapon, filling the skies with thunder that resonated in the mountains.

The magic was a part of every life on earth, and the people embraced it. But with the power that the magic brought, there came dark times to the humans.

Envy and greed filled the human’s hearts, as every human could only wield one ability. By birth, they were filled with the magic that had been passed on to them by their parents, a magic that would often resemble their environment. Therefore, the people that could change the ways of the water were concentrated in the south while the people that rose high into the skies lived up north. Of course, the humans that did not bear any magic became part of the communities of their region, too, as they were welcomed with open arms. Over the course of years, people of the same magic founded first cities and later on states, and eventually, seven territories were formed.

For a while, they co-existed peacefully.

But it did not take long until the humans began to not only envy other people’s magic.

Soon, they also began to fear it.

Especially the humans that did not bear any magic, stirred up hatred. And it was not without cause: while magic was commonly used in their daily lives, the humans had begun to wield it as a weapon.

In a matter of time, wars broke out in a magnitude that no one had ever witnessed before.

Merciless fires raged through wide tracts of land and fed off of trees and bodies alike. Relentless rains filled the rivers, flooding homes and havens. Hurricanes took apart houses, brick by brick and stick by stick. Lightning struck soldiers and mothers alike, the striking thunderbolts dancing across the skies that turned night to day. Ice stilled the movements of every organism it enclosed, forever freezing them into grotesque, lifeless sculptures. Death came from the skies, catching the humans by surprise, and it came from the ground, leaving no way to escape the endless slaughter.

It took many lives until the human’s began to change their strategies. Slowly, they began to realize that the magic that they had valued for so many years was what made them suffer, and they began to turn against it.

Suddenly, wielders of magic had become the enemy.

Even though they were at an advantage due to their abilities, they were slain in masses, and the population began to drastically decrease.

Eventually, the ones that remained began to hide their abilities and the magic had seemed to have left the earth.

It would take many years for magic to resurface again and by then, the inhabitants of the seven territories had forgotten the sorrows and pain their people had felt as the generations that had witnessed the unspeakable crimes had long passed.

At that time, the wielders of magic almost vanished entirely. The children of wielders rarely inherited the gift of magic anymore. Still, many years passed until only one family was left in each territory. Even then, it took much longer until their gift would resurface and become known to public.

It happened first in the territory that we now call the Kingdom of Him.

A cruel dictator had taken over power in the territory that had formerly been inhabited by the people that wielded the power of the earth. They were characterized by their inhuman strength as well as their willpower, but the man in power was only a poor imitation of it, never having worked on the fields or in the mines before. The people in the territory that lay in the north were helpless as their ruler had suddenly brought them closer to ruin than they had been ever since the terrible wars. It was then when the wielders of magic that had remained in the country, a small family with a young father of two children, a daughter and a son, seized the moment to free the territory from it’s demonic ruler. Spurred by the incredibly concentrated magic that the young man carried, he was able to overwhelm the army of soldiers that stood in his way to the tyrant. The people of the country cheered for him when he presented them the head of their undeserving ruler, and suddenly, the people began to feel the awe again that they’d experienced at first when magic had still been omnipresent. The horrors of the war had been forgotten for too long already, and the people of Him embraced the young man as their new king. He would go down in history as the first King of the seven kingdoms.

It was the King of Him.

After the overthrow in Him, something began to change in the minds of the people again.

Next came the territory of Mul, located in south of the peninsula and encased by miles of water. Hardships in the form of floods and tsunamis were causing havoc and the ruler of the territory had only been able to watch as the country was torn apart by the power that they had once adored. In this time of trouble, the only family of wielders of the magic that could control the water saw the need to intervene. They were able to calm down the waters and the people were so grateful that they asked for them to become their rulers, wanting them to watch over them and help the territory to regain its strength. Like this, the Kingdom of Mul was created and from then on ruled by the King and Queen of Mul.

One by one, the other lonely families of magic wielders came into power in similar ways.

The last Kingdom that was established from the former territories was the Kingdom of Bihaeng.

After a last revolt, magic had finally found its place in society again, even if only in the form of the royal families. Seven Kingdoms had been established from the former territories and new maps were drawn, showcasing the symbols of the royal families that were now watching over the lands.

Once upon a time, the earth had been filled with magic.

But the people had taken it and turned it into something evil until seven families showed them how to use it to do good again.

In this process,

the Kingdom of Bihaeng, the realm of the skies,

the Kingdom of Him, the motherland of strong men,

the Kingdom of Balam, the country of fresh breezes,

the Kingdom of Bul, the homeland of burning fires,

the Kingdom of Beongae, the home of electrifying lighting,

the Kingdom of Mul, the land of flowing waters,

and the Kingdom of Eoleum, the nation of icy glaciers,

had been founded.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find a map of the 7 Kingdoms that I created [here](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/181078377797). I have been working on this fic for ages and I have 10 chapters with a total of 45k words written so far so I will be posting regularly. I would love to receive your feedback and thoughts in the form of Kudos and comments and I am open to criticism and ideas too! Thank you so much for reading, it really means a lot to me.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shoutout to my amazing beta reader Alex!
> 
> Balam – Wind  
> Bul – Fire  
> Mul – Water  
> Him – Strength/Earth  
> Bihaeng – Flight  
> Beongae – Lightning  
> Eoleum – Ice  
> Mipung – Breeze (Capital of Balam)
> 
> all names stem from Korean vocabulary

Sehun was nervous.

Sitting on the throne in a large hall filled with officials, he anxiously awaited the King of Bul.

The King’s messenger had been the first to arrive earlier that day, indicating his future arrival. Sehun was nervously toying with the golden rings around his arms, his bare chest chilled by the slight wind that also ran through his hair, effectively keeping it out of his face. A huge python was slung around his neck, dozing while Sehun couldn't even think about a minute of rest. His brother was right next to his side, dressed in the traditional uniform of the leader of the army of Balam.

"My King, it will be okay. None of these royals are here with ill intent. They are here to unite in the face of a bigger war." His brother said formally, his words contradicting the hand he had placed on Sehun's shoulder in brotherly affection.

"Hyung..." Sehun mumbled as he looked up at him, not sure what to do with himself. The snake slithered down a little, resting its head on Sehun’s thigh. The young man sent it a few soothing words before focusing on his brother again. "The waiting makes it even worse."

He squeezed his shoulder and then pulled his hand back when the sounds of the traditional drums began to resonate in the giant hall. "You can open the door now, my King." His brother advised as he straightened up. The King of Bul and all his people were waiting just outside the door. It was expected of Sehun as the King to wield the wind to open the door in the manner of his family which had been passed down for more than two centuries.

The young King braced himself. He corrected his posture even though he’d already been sitting up straight, his nerves keeping him on the edge of the golden throne. Taking a deep breath, Sehun closed his eyes, the wind forcefully opening the huge, heavily ornamented wooden doors.

On the other side of the passage, the King of Bul was quite impressed. He could feel the force of the wind ruffle his red hair and goose bumps broke out as the chilly air washed over him.

"Well... That was impressive." Chanyeol said light-heartedly and stepped into the large ceremony hall. Originally, he’d been supposed to be brought into the room in a palanquin but he usually preferred using his own feet to carry himself.

"I am greeting you, King Chanyeol of Bul." Sehun said, standing up. The large python had slithered away after he'd quietly told it to, so Sehun was free to move, but the feeling of tightness in his chest still clung to him. "I, King of Balam, Oh Sehun, son of Oh Seyoung, King of Balam and Oh Yerim, heiress of Dongmul, greet you in our Kingdom." His voice rose over the attendants as the wind carried it on, glad when he didn't stumble over his words.

Chanyeol bowed slightly in the style of his people. "I, King Chanyeol of Bul, son of Park Chankyun, King of Bul and Park Hyeori greet you, King Sehun of Balam. In the name of my people I thank you for your invitation and hospitality." He smiled at the young man in front of him.

Sehun smiled back and bowed as well, a soft breeze caressing his chest. "Welcome, King Chanyeol of Bul. I was already awaiting your after your messenger arrived early this morning." He greeted him with the typical hand gesture of his people, his right hand first touching his left and then his right shoulder. "I assume you must be worn out and hungry after such a long journey. Therefore I arranged for us to dine."

"I appreciate that, thank you. But first, let me give you our present to thank you for hosting the negotiations as well as a sign of good will." Chanyeol nodded and made a hand gesture. Immediately,  four men began to move, carrying something that was heavily wrapped-up towards Sehun.

"This is a very valuable item, I give it to you in hopes of a fruitful and lasting friendship between our kingdoms." Chanyeol bowed again, hoping that the King of Balam would know to cherish the light orb which was hidden under multiple blankets. It would give light and warmth even in the darkest of days. The ancient craft of light orbs had almost died in the last century but in the kingdom of Bul there were still a few people that knew how to create the circular orbs that always seemed to spread a dim light that appeared to be filled with the warmth of the sun.

Sehun bowed deeply, stepping closer while ordering four of his men to take the present. "I deeply appreciate it, King Chanyeol." He offered another smile and then let his men unwrap it the orb in front of everyone. When he was faced with the light orb, he was at a loss for a moment, unsure what it was. Never before, he’d seen anything like it. At first, he’d thought it was a ball of crystal or glass but the glow was what caught him off-guard and it was as if he could sense a simmering heat springing from the sphere, which led him to believe that it wasn’t as simple as a crystal. Yet, he could not clearly identify the object in front of him so he met Chanyeol’s eyes, wondering if it would be impolite to ask for an explanation

"It's a light orb." Chanyeol came to help him, amused that the King didn't know what it was. They weren’t common in his kingdom of fire, yet everyone knew what the spheres of light were. "Touch it and you'll understand it's powers." He instructed, curious at how Sehun would proceed.

Sehun blushed, feeling ashamed that he hadn't known that. Now that he’d heard the name, he remembered reading something about it in the many lessons on the other kingdom’s histories and cultures. In moments like this, he wished he’d given his teacher a little more attention. "Thank you for the explanation, King Chanyeol. Let me try then." He tried to get over his embarrassment and reached out to touch the shiny orb, almost pulling his hand away when it began to glow from the inside the moment he laid his hands on it, slowly illuminating the room and filling up the whole orb, warmth permeating through the material and into his fingers.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile. The King of Balam had to be full of power for the orb to light up that quickly. "You are pure of heart, King Sehun. I am happy I gave this present to you. May it be your light in dark times and your warmth when cold winter strikes." He was done with formalities now, never having liked them much to begin with. As the King of a country, it couldn’t be avoided though but with Sehun he knew it wasn’t necessary once they’d reached a certain point of greeting each other to calm the minds of the old ministers and diplomats that were watching their every step. In the end, they would have enough opportunities for greetings later on when the leaders of the other kingdoms arrived.

"I truly appreciate your wonderful gift, King Chanyeol. I will cherish it and keep it safe in my chambers, resorting to it in times of trouble. It is certainly a very beautiful craft of your people and I’m looking forward to reading up on it and exploring its powers." He smiled as his servants carried it away to clear the room.

Now that they were mostly done with formalities, Chanyeol walked up to Sehun so that they could finally look at each other more closely. He was of striking beauty but in a very different way than what was typical in his kingdom. Chanyeol’s skin was darker than Sehun’s, tanned by the strong sun of the kingdom of fire. The colour was pale in comparison to the citizens of his country though, Chanyeol never having had to work on the fields next to the Namhan river or in the busy streets of the capital Ddeugaun Dosi, the City of Ash.

While their skin colour differed, the traditional clothes of the kingdoms shared a few similarities. Like Sehun, the King of fire wore heavy robes that were wrapped around his waist and tied together skilfully by valuable leather and rare metals. The white fabric stood an intense contrast to his skin and added to the glow that seemed to come off the slightly taller man. Just like Sehun, bands of gold adorned his upper body but it wasn’t the jewellery that caught the attention of everyone that laid their eyes on the King of Bul. It was his hair, red like fire and unruly, not even the crown sitting on top of it managing to make it look any less wild.

Sehun smiled at him. He'd seen Chanyeol before many times but back then he hadn't been in the position of the king. Now they were of the same rank, they were on par. "I am looking forward to the feast." He said, sending his old friend a smile. Even though the other King was of immense beauty, Sehun had never seen anything more than a friend in him although he’d been certain about his interest in men for a long time now.

"I couldn't agree more. It is good to see you, King Sehun." Chanyeol’s emphasis lay on the word ‘king’. In contrast to Sehun, Chanyeol had been the King of Bul for a few years so they had often conversed when he’d visited Sehun's father in Balam due to negotiations. Unlike in Balam, the reign in Bul could be passed on to the heir of the throne not only through death but also through a specific ruling when the reigning King or Queen deemed it appropriate or necessary.

"I feel the same way." Sehun smiled and then turned around to look at his brother. "I'm sure my brother will be happy to join us for dinner. Your closest followers shall join us, too."

"It is settled, then. May I ask where I can advise the rest of my following to head for dinner?" He asked. They'd set up camp outside the city, but he knew that his closer servants and advisors wanted a hot meal in an inn somewhere.

"Ah, yes of course. There are many great localities in our beautiful capital, I'm sure some of my ambassadors would like to guide your people to some of our most recommendable inns." He smiled. "The chambers for you and your closest advisors are already prepared, too."

"Thank you, King Sehun." Chanyeol smiled. "I assume one of your servants will inform us once dinner is served? I would like to refresh myself after the long journey."

"Yes, everything is arranged. I'll be awaiting you." He smiled and then made a surprised sound when a colourful bird landed on his shoulder, nuzzling into Sehun’s hair with its beak. "Excuse me." Sehun looked at Chanyeol bashfully but made no attempt to send the bird away.

Chanyeol's eyes widened but then he giggled. Sehun had always stood him up for animals, something that he had appeared to have picked up from his mother. "I'll see you later." Chanyeol finally dropped the formalities and nodded before he followed Sehun's servants that were supposed to take him to the quarters that had been prepared in advance. As he turned around, Chanyeol nodded at Baekhyun and his other advisors, indicating them to follow him. "One of King Sehun's ambassadors will come to show you to an Inn soon." He told the group of soldiers that was no longer necessary now that he’d safely reached the palace of Mipung. In the building, Chanyeol was certain that there was no danger to be expected. The walk through the familiar hallways of the palace was quiet, but Chanyeol welcomed it. It was a wonderful contrast to the stressful journey from Ddeugaun Dosi. It was summer, so the sun had mercilessly burned down. Chanyeol had almost welcomed the fresher breeze that had welcomed them soon after they’d passed the border to Balam.

They were left alone after Chanyeol dismissed Sehun’s servants.

"Well, that was considerably uneventful." Baekhyun spoke the moment they were alone in the main room of the chambers prepared by Sehun's servants. The small man had sat down at a beautifully crafted wooden table, eyes drifting over the room and eventually settling on Chanyeol.

"Of course it was. I've known him for years, our kingdoms are on more than friendly terms. There wasn't any tension to be expected." Chanyeol shrugged, trying to get out of his heavy royal robe to wash himself but the fabric was tied in intricate ways and he struggled.

"Let me help." Baekhyun said, stepping closer without waiting for an answer. He didn’t expect Chanyeol to say no. Originally, helping Chanyeol undress had never been his task but he still occasionally helped him with it. "He hid his uncertainty well, don't you think so?"

"Yes, he's doing well. I trust him, as a friend and as a fellow leader." Chanyeol watched Baekhyun skilfully untie the complex knots, taking off the robes around his waist layer by layer until he was left in his undergarments. "I know it looks good, but why does it have to be so heavy?" He asked when Baekhyun had taken off the golden jewellery as well, trying to shake out his sore shoulder and neck.

"Do you want a massage after your bath, my King?" Baekhyun said teasingly. When Chanyeol didn’t reply, he just continued talking. "And it's just the price you have to pay for looking this good once in a while, you know? I think you will manage." He said conversationally as he neatly folded the fabric he’d just taken off of Chanyeol.

The king gave him an annoyed look before heading behind the curtain to shrug off his underwear so he could climb into the tub.  "You're my advisor. What do you think about the new King of Balam?” He completely ignored Baekhyun’s teasing.

"I like Sehun. He's sweet. I'm afraid he's a little too sweet though. Nobody expected his parents to die this quickly. He certainly didn't either." Baekhyun replied, sitting down on a chair. "However, I know that there will be people that are going to question his abilities to rule. So far I think he's doing well, though. What about you?"

"I agree with you. I always like to think that weaknesses can also be someone’s strength, though. This kingdom is strong, they have always been strong and they will always be strong. The strength of Sehun's mother has connected it to nature more than anyone thought was possible." He stepped out from behind the curtain, only a piece of cloth wrapped around his middle and fiery hair dripping wet. "It will make them even stronger."

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol, his mouth dry. Sometimes the sight of his King left him breathless. It happened more often than he liked to admit. "Sehun was checking you out once again, too." He managed to speak up, thinking of the way the young King had scrutinized Chanyeol earlier.

Chanyeol looked at him with a frown. "Too? Are you saying you're checking me out right now?" Chanyeol asked, walking over to where his servants had put his bags of belongings and had already spread out a more comfortable royal robe on the bed.

"What would you do if I say I did?" Baekhyun asked, tilting his head a little. His heart was pounding in his chest, uncertain if it was because of their conversation or Chanyeol in general. "Also what about the massage?"

Chanyeol dropped the cloth and put on his silk underpants. "I'd appreciate a massage, but you know that's not your task. I do not want you to feel forced to do anything you're not at my side for." Chanyeol said, stretching out his back again while he refused to look at Baekhyun. The comment about checking him out had affected him more than he liked to admit.

Eyes raking down his muscular back down to his ass shamelessly, Baekhyun licked his lips subconsciously. Chanyeol had a beautiful body and Baekhyun had been yearning to touch it for ages. "You know I never feel forced to do something for you, Chanyeol." He replied eventually, his voice quieter than before. By now, he had thought he should be used to their games but in the end, he knew he’d never be able to just brush it off.

Chanyeol nodded and looked over his shoulder before spreading out on the bed. "I'd appreciate a massage then. I'm really tense."

The surprise was obvious on Baekhyun’s features. He hadn't expected him to accept after all but a sly smirk immediately spread on his lips, the smaller man jumping up just to settle down on Chanyeol's hips. "As you wish, King Chanyeol." He said in a teasing voice, knowing that he disliked it when he addressed him like that when they were in private.

"You know it's an honour to touch the King like this.” He said, eyes closing. “Don't smile like that, I can hear it in your voice." Chanyeol added as an afterthought, wanting to leave the awkwardness behind.

“What a great honour it is that I can touch you, my King." Baekhyun snorted but his actions were contrasting his words. Soft, long fingers gently trailed over Chanyeol’s back and settled on his shoulders, his palm heating up to help the other relax as he began to massage him in earnest.

Chanyeol only sighed deeply when his muscles immediately relaxed under Baekhyun's skilful hands. More often than not, he’d thanked the gods for Baekhyun’s abilities in difficult situations, but mostly mundane things like receiving massages made him aware of how much truly appreciated them. He still remembered how he’d first learned of Baekhyun’s ability to wield the magic of light. Back then they’d been teenagers and Baekhyun had been the youngest son of one of the two families in the capital that still passed on the craft of creating light orbs from generation to generation.

_ His father had taken Chanyeol to visit the family’s home to look at the production of the valuable spheres. As his father had gotten distracted by listening to the owner of the workshop, Baekhyun’s grandfather, Chanyeol had slipped past the watchful eyes of the soldiers that were supposed to guarantee their safety and decided to explore the interesting place on his own. Before that, he’d rarely seen the houses of the city from the inside. While he’d often walked through the city because of parades and other official events, Chanyeol had spent most of his life in the palace and the royal gardens up until that point so the new building, especially one that was full of nooks and crannies, fascinated Chanyeol immensely. He’d taken his time to look at the different iron utensils on the rough surfaces of the wooden tables and had examined the bellows next to the fireplace before his eyes landed on a door he hadn’t seen yet. When he realized it wasn’t looked, Chanyeol had quickly glanced left and right before slipping into the room. To his surprise, it had been full of shelves, but what really drew in his full attention were the contents of the shelves: sitting on top of the numerous wooden boards were light orbs in all sizes, some not even entirely spherical but other shapes too, pyramids and eggs, cubes and orbs that looked like drops filled with light. Drawn in by the beauty, Chanyeol had stepped closer to the shelves and had picked up one of the spherical ones, flinching when it immediately began to glow more intensely the moment his fingers touched the warm surface of the stone. For a moment, he’d almost believed it to be pulsating, the glass seemingly becoming alive under his touch. _

_ “They’re fascinating, aren’t they?” A voice had suddenly chimed up behind the young prince and had led him to promptly drop the orb, the object shattering into a thousand little pieces at his feet. But instead of scolding him or being angry for dropping the valuable orb, the boy had instantly began to soothe Chanyeol and had apologized for scaring him. In his shock, Chanyeol had been left speechless, cheeks burning in embarrassment as the boy had bent down to start pushing the pieces together with a hand brush he’d quickly retrieved from somewhere. Quietly, they finished their task until nothing was left to remind them of the incident. The boy had put everything into a bucket and had disposed it somewhere while Chanyeol stayed behind, staring at the now empty spot on the shelf. He’d felt so ashamed to break such a beautiful art piece but the other boy had been so nonchalant, it had taken him by surprise. In the palace, he would have certainly received punishment for his mindless behaviour. Soundlessly, the other boy had returned without Chanyeol noticing at first. He’d been glad he hadn’t broken anything else when he flinched a little when he realized the other boy was back again. _

_ “I’m Baekhyun.” The foreign boy had introduced himself then. It was obvious who Chanyeol was, his red hair clearly giving away his royal status. “Do you want me to show you something really amazing?” The smaller boy had just continued, obviously not minding the other’s royalty. When Chanyeol had just nodded, Baekhyun had gently taken his hand to lead him through the shelves, ending up in front of another door which had turned out to be the entrance to a staircase that led into the ground. The stairway had been as dark as the night and Chanyeol had always been a little afraid of the dark. Out of nowhere, the path had suddenly been illuminated by a soft light though, springing from what seemed to be a ball of light in the other boy’s palm. Chanyeol’s eyes had grown wide and Baekhyun had just grinned cheekily before he’d advanced down the stairs, the light in his hand bouncing up and down with his movements. Chanyeol had still been entranced after he’d reached the end of the stairs but even though the ball of light in Baekhyun’s palm had been impressive, the monstrosity of a light orb that they were now facing just took his breath away. The orb had to have the diameter of at least half a meter and it’s glow was illuminating the tiny vault which they’d entered. “This is the biggest light orb we’ve ever created.” Baekhyun had told Chanyeol, obviously excited. When he’d offered Chanyeol to touch it, the Prince had been hesitant at first but eventually couldn’t resist, once again surprised when the glow intensified when he touched the orb. “It can sense someone’s magic. If the person is full of magical energy, it will glow brighter.” Baekhyun had explained. It was then when they’d heard footsteps at the top of the stairs and voices growing louder. “Baekhyun?” His father’s voice could be heard and there had been no sense in lying so the smaller boy had called out that they were looking at the orb. After that, they’d quickly headed back upstairs and Baekhyun had received a scolding that he’d just taken the Prince down into the vaults but when Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s eyes had met, the Prince had been able to tell by the glint in the other’s eyes that he hadn’t regretted anything at all. Soon after, the royal family had left the home of the Byun family and Chanyeol had glanced out of the carriage, looking out for Baekhyun in the small crowd as they were carted away. Later that night at dinner with his parents, Chanyeol had told them about the large light orb and the boy with the light in his palm. His mother had listened curiously. She’d always known that her son was looking for a friend that he could play and talk with, but no one in the palace had seemed to fill that spot. Therefore, the next day she’d arranged to invite Baekhyun into the palace. At first, he’d been really shy, never having been in the palace before. Yet, it hadn’t taken long for him to warm up again once the two boys had been left alone and he’d been able to ask Chanyeol questions about the palace and other things that interested him. From then on, their meetings had grown more regularly and they’d grown closer every day, leading to Chanyeol announcing Baekhyun as his personal advisor right after his coronation years later. _

Throughout the years, he’d learned that Baekhyun was not only capable of creating light, he was also able to summon warmth with the light he produced, the heat now evident on Chanyeol’s bare skin.

"I wonder when the others will arrive." Baekhyun mused while his delicate fingers worked on Chanyeol's shoulders. "They shouldn't be too far either."

"No, I think the Queen of Mul and the Queen of Eoleum will arrive together tomorrow. Their kingdoms are close together." Chanyeol agreed quietly, suppressing a shudder. The thought of the cold temperatures of the southern kingdoms always put him off and even though they were on neutral terms, he wouldn’t consider the kingdom of water and the kingdom of ice as his allies.

"Are you scared of those two tiny ladies?" Baekhyun teased as his hands dipped lower. He wished he could touch every inch of his body but this had to do for now. It always did.

"You know their body height doesn't take away from their strength." That was one of the most common mistakes people did when they dealt with both kingdoms. "In the end, I always have to keep in mind that fire would lose against water and ice in the long run."

"I know, Yeol…I'm pretty small myself and I'm still incredibly amazing." Baekhyun grinned and dug his fingers into the skin just above his butt.

Chanyeol let out a gasp and closed his eyes, his ears taking on the colour of his hair. "I think that's enough, thank you, Baekhyun."

"Are you sure?" He asked, his finger traveling over his spine teasingly. He knew he was literally playing with fire.

"Baekhyun, get off me." Chanyeol insisted, his skin heating up around Baekhyun's legs to shoo him off. Not only Baekhyun could create warmth, it ran in the bloodline of the royal family of Bul too. Chanyeol guessed it came along with the ability to create fire, considering that heat was an essential part of it.

Baekhyun frowned but let go of him and scrambled away, brushing a hand through his hair. "So much for a thank you, your Highness."

"I already thanked you." Chanyeol said, getting up again. "You know who you're dealing with." He said and began to put on the more casual but still pretty clothing that left most of his arms and some of his chest free. He'd thank Baekhyun again, but he was a King.

The other decided to drop the act and just nodded. "Yes, I know your Highness. May I help you getting dressed? I'm sure the King of Balam is awaiting you."

"It's alright, I'm almost done." He said and tried to close the last buttons at the top, not even fighting him when Baekhyun stepped in to help him even though he’d declined his offer. "I'll be waiting on the balcony, you can refresh yourself if you’d like."

"I should get changed too, you're right, your Highness." He said and then stepped away to rummage through his belongings. He didn't really feel like spending time with Chanyeol now.

The redhead had headed to the balcony and had settled in a comfy chair that had been provided for him. Then he cursed silently and hid his face in his hands. Baekhyun was his closest advisor but it drove Chanyeol crazy, he wanted so much more from him that he couldn't have. It wasn’t often that he regretted being King, but whenever it happened, Baekhyun was typically the reason for it. He knew that they were playing a game but neither of them knew how to properly finish it without breaking the rules, and essentially, each other’s hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the first part was only the prologue, here you have the first chapter right away! I would love to receive your feedback in the form of Kudos or comments and I am open to criticism. Thank you so much for reading!


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Balam - Wind  
> Bul - Fire  
> Mul - Water  
> Him - Strength/Earth  
> Eoleum - Ice  
> Beongae - Lightning  
> Bihaeng - Flight
> 
> all words are taken from Korean vocab (Thanks to Lea and her bf ily guys)
> 
> (all the words written in italics are the things that the animals tell Sehun in the story. Just in case it wasn't entirely clear)

Sehun had descended to his chambers, his brother following closely behind. "That was good, right? Hyung?" Sehun asked, two servants already changing his clothing for the meal. They were standing in the room the room that led to Sehun’s bedroom, the light reflecting on the golden vases and bowls that were filled with fruit.

Sitting down on one of the chairs, his brother nodded as he attempted to rid himself of some of the armour. From experience he knew it would only get uncomfortable later on as it was too heavy and constricting to eat in. "I think everything went very well, their present is extremely valuable. Our father trusted the kingdom of Bul, I think we can do the same."

"Yes, I think so too." Sehun smiled at him and made a happy noise when a huge black panther strolled into the room. It rubbed its head against his thigh, ignoring everyone else.

Sehyun stepped back instinctively. Most people reacted to the feline this way and Sehun couldn’t really blame them. The panther’s eyes were burning into the King’s brother and she let out a low growl. "Sehun, can't you keep those animals away for maybe one day? Or at least the dinner. I doubt the people of Bul want to be surprised by a fully grown panther." Sehyun glanced at the animal.

"But she doesn't do any harm, hyung." Sehun replied instantly. "Also... mother loved her." There was a sadness in his voice and he stared at the giant black feline.

The panther rubbed her head against Sehun's leg again as if it felt his sadness.  _ 'Sehun, it will be okay.' _ She told him in his thoughts.  _ 'Don't listen to your brother. I won’t hurt them, you know that.’ _

Sehun frowned and looked at the beautiful animal. "I know, you are not a threat to anybody here. But I guess hyung is right, the other’s won’t know that for certain. I do not want to cause any trouble even before the negotiations have started." Sehun replied, holding up his arms for the servants to put beautifully crafted golden rings on his arms.

The panther didn't say anything else, just placed itself at Sehun's feet, and even though it’s eyes were closed the creature was oozing power.

Sehun’s brother seemed content with Sehun’s discernment and decided to change the topic. "Sehun, the King of Bul is trustworthy, but we don't know about the other kingdoms yet. Even though we are generally on good or neutral terms with them, I would be more comfortable if you had a private warrior at your side at all times." He started off, glancing at the large black cat again that was now watching him closely.

"A private warrior? Like a specially trained soldier? But I have many guards already. Do you think it necessary?" Sehun wondered and looked at his brother with wide eyes while the servants continued hanging golden necklaces around his neck.

He nodded. "I found a warrior especially trained for this task. I'll let you meet him tomorrow if you agree, your highness."

"I... am happy about your concern, hyung." Sehun smiled at him warmly. His brother was probably right, there were many people that could possibly want to harm him. He assumed he’d be thinking the same way if he were in his shoes, the thought of losing his brother seemed unbearable. If it made his brother feel better, he’d certainly agree to it.

"Of course I'm concerned. This is more than a new King should have to deal with so quickly. The kingdoms haven’t come together like this in decades and there’s a lot of pressure on you. There are many foreigners in the city and this could potentially lead to trouble. It’s just a safety measure.”

"I'm so glad to have you as my support, hyung. You're.. .all I have." Sehun reached out to squeeze his brother’s hand softly. The panther lifted its head to watch them but otherwise stayed quiet.

Sehyun squeezed his hand back and smiled but soon left him to check on the final preparations for the dinner with the King of Bul. When a servant came to inform Sehun that the dinner was served, he scratched the panther behind its ears one last time before he left his chambers behind him to head to the dining hall.

In another part of the castle, Chanyeol had fallen into a light slumber on the balcony.

Baekhyun had stepped outside, smiling when he found Chanyeol with his head resting on a stone table. "Your Highness. The King of Balam is awaiting you now." He spoke softly, the anger and hurt from earlier having vanished.

Chanyeol opened his eyes sleepily, shivering in the wind that had steadily blown over him.  "I shouldn't have slept out here... I'm too cold." He mumbled, feeling the cold having seeped deep into his bones.

"It's very windy, you're right. There's a lot going on in the kingdom of Balam after all and the wind seems to reflect the emotions of the young King." Baekhyun nodded and held up Chanyeol's favourite coat. "This should keep you warm for now."

Chanyeol only now realized that his hands were numb. It wasn’t freezing, actually the air had a pleasant warmth, but the people of Bul were used to a warmer climate. In addition to that, Chanyeol, just like any other person of his bloodline, was even more in need of heat to keep the flame inside him alive. "I think I have to ask you for a favour." He said, standing up as gracefully as he could. His body still hadn’t fully woken up and the lack of the usual heat was adding to it. "I need you to warm me up. I can't access my flame." He'd really underestimated the wind, it seemed to have picked up considerably since he'd fallen asleep.

"Of course, your Highness." Baekhyun agreed immediately and put his palms on Chanyeol's broad chest, fingers lighting up. He could feel the steady heartbeat of the taller man beneath his fingers, eyes cast downward.

He didn’t see the other closing his eyes, mellow warmth began to warm him, the sensation spreading from his chest to his fingertips. "Your power never ceases to amaze."

"I know. There’s a reason I’m your personal slave.” Baekhyun teased easily as he heated up his hands just a little bit more, the glow of his fingertips intensifying. He didn’t realize that his words had hit harder than he’d intended them to, they made Chanyeol frown and open his eyes, looking down at the smaller man.

"Is that how you feel?" He asked, covering Baekhyun's hands with his own that had finally regained their initial heat. Their warmth stood in stark contrast to the tone of his voice.

"No. I don’t really feel that way, Chanyeol." The words were quiet but spoken with certainty and Baekhyun looked up to meet his beautiful dark eyes. Baekhyun had never seen eyes with such warmth before. Sometimes, he wondered if the flame inside of Chanyeol was the reason for it but whenever thoughts like this struck him, deep down he knew that it was because of his big heart.

"Fire and light belong together. I need you at my side." Chanyeol said silently.

"I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Baekhyun smiled, but it was a bitter smile. He wished he could just lean up and kiss him but every time he'd ever attempted in doing anything like that, Chanyeol had resolutely stopped him. At the same time, the other would continue saying how much he needed him at his side but in the end it was never enough. Chanyeol’s words left a bitter aftertaste, as if Baekhyun had tasted them on his tongue himself.

The atmosphere had changed and they both felt it. Mixed with the tension, there was also the constant underlying tenderness. Then King of Bul knew they both wanted it,  _ god did he want it _ , but he couldn't bring himself to allow it. There had always been different rules for him. Being the Prince and later on the King were a gift, but it didn’t come without its cost.

As the King, he was supposed to marry a woman that would carry his children one day. The kingdom was in need of a heir. There had been a time when he’d thought that maybe he didn’t have to be the one to “zeugen” the heir, but back then his sister had still been alive.

At the memory of Yoora, Chanyeol forced himself to change his line of thought. Now, there was no other way to give his kingdom the heir that it deserved than by marrying a woman and taking her to bed.

He couldn’t bring himself to accept this either. He didn't want that. Yet, he didn’t allow himself to think further and the situation with Baekhyun seemed hopeless to him. Once again, he decided to drop the topic before they could breach the confinements of safe territory and the point of no return. When he spoke again, the look on his face told Baekhyun that it was the King of Bul talking to him and not Chanyeol anymore. The tender squeeze of his hands made Baekhyun realize that maybe the King and his friend were the same after all.

“Thank you.” The other’s fingers slipped away and Baekhyun took a step back.

"You're welcome, your Highness. Let's head to dinner."

Just minutes later, they were following a servant. Chanyeol would have found the banquet hall without the servant, he knew his way around the palace. It was the first time for Baekhyun in Balam though.

When they entered the giant hall, Sehun was already sitting at the head of the table. On his right sat his brother, the seat to his left was empty. "Chanyeol. Now we can speak more freely over wine and good food.", he smiled warmly and stood up.

Returning the smile, Chanyeol spread his arms in a brotherly greeting. "I was looking forward to this the whole way to your kingdom." He chuckled, his mouth close to his ear as they hugged. He took the place next to Sehun, Chanyeol was pleased when able to take the one on his other side. It seemed like Sehun had made sure that everything had been arranged to his liking.

"Yes, me too. I'm glad you came a little earlier than the others, not only because of our strong alliance." Sehun smiled at his old friend. "Baekhyun, how are you?" He finally also could ask his other friend. Even though Baekhyun had never been to Balam before, they’d met a few times before when Sehun had followed his father to Bul.

Chanyeol smiled at Baekhyun for a moment, but he knew he didn't need help talking to Sehun. "I'm very well, your Highness. Thank you for your invitation." Baekhyun said and bowed before coming back up with a wide grin. Taking the place next to Chanyeol, it didn’t take long until all of Chanyeol’s followers had found their seats.

"Please drop the formalities, hyung." Sehun smiled in the meantime and filled their cups with the best wine in his kingdom, a gentle breeze chilling the liquid. "I love the wine your kingdom makes, it's so sweet and rich." Baekhyun hummed and reached for his cup first, really dropping all formalities. No one was supposed to touch their food before the Kings but the two royals certainly didn’t mind.  Sehun just laughed and then held up his cup, toasting to his brother, Chanyeol, their ambassadors and ministers. "To a wonderful meeting with the people of Bul." His eyes crinkled into crescents and he took a long sip, the familiar taste exploding on his taste buds. Even after tasting different beverages of far away countries, his kingdom’s wine was still the richest drink in his opinion.

They were all quiet for a moment as they drank, enjoying the lingering taste of Balam's wine. "Magnificent." Baekhyun said with a sigh. He barely drank, so he knew he should be careful with the alcohol.

"The food will be even better." Sehun promised, reaching out to put some of it on his plate. He liked to do it himself instead of letting the servants fill his plate. Whenever servants attempted to do such easy tasks for him, he would feel like a toddler that wasn’t capable of doing it on his own and it never failed to bug him. Therefore, he tended to do as many things on his own as possible. "We have just the finest foods tonight." He smiled. Even though Sehun didn't eat meat he knew it would be careless if he didn’t serve it.

"It looks and smells amazing, but you didn't have to serve us meat, Sehun, we know it hurts you." Chanyeol said.. "However, now that is has been served we will certainly savour the fine taste of it so that the sacrificed animals won't go to waste.”

"I know you enjoy it though. I wasn't too troubled for I did not have to witness their suffering. My kingdom loves meat anyway, so why should I deny you?" Sehun brushed him off easily.

They began eating and Sehun quickly noticed the glances Baekhyun kept sending Chanyeol and the way Chanyeol seemed to think he was being very discrete as he watched the other and kept adding things to his plate. When Baekhyun openly swatted Chanyeol’s hand away with a smile on his lips and a teasing comment, Sehun began to wonder if they had finally managed to get over their problems. Being close to Chanyeol, he’d not only witnessed the way they acted around each other in person but also through the many letters he and Chanyeol regularly exchanged. Their letters usually came in bi-weekly and had become a comfortable routine for both of them, serving to be helpful for both private and national, or rather transnational, matters. Now wasn’t the time to bring up the topic though and Sehun decided to wait until he and Chanyeol would have a moment of privacy. That didn’t mean he couldn’t test his theory and see if he found any more proof.

As they began chatting, the wind had eased up and a flock of small birds was circling above the table. "I love all the animals in here, they are adorable.” Distracted from both Chanyeol and the food on his plate, Baekhyun’s eyes were following the tiny birds that fluttered over their heads excitedly.

Sehun could only agree as he looked up at the birds in adoration, whispering a few words that sent them down to land on Baekhyun's head, chirping gently. "Just as cute as you." He added, waiting not for Baekhyun’s but Chanyeol’s reaction to it. The latter had always been awfully jealous and he wondered if that had got worse. In the meantime, Baekhyun was smitten. "This is… incredible.” He whispered in awe, entirely ignoring Sehun as he reached up to let one of them jump on his finger so he could bring it closer to his face and look at it. By then he had already forgotten Sehun's compliment, but Chanyeol hadn't. He’d instantly shot Sehun a confused glance, red eyebrows furrowing.

Sehun only sent Chanyeol a playful grin when he noticed his reaction but then focused on Baekhyun again who was playing with the birds. None of his ministers at the feast would be questioning the presence of animals. Most of them were quite fond of them as they had formerly been adopt by his mother. At the thought of her, Sehun’s expression turned sad for a moment. Gifted with the ability to talk to animals, his mother had been one of a kind in the kingdom of wind. When his parents had discovered that both abilities had been passed on to their youngest son, they’d been incredibly relieved since they’d already realized that Sehyun had not been gifted with control over the wind. Sometimes, Sehun wondered how different his life would have been if he hadn’t inherited the gift of his mother as well. The thought of it scared him, a day without talking to his animal friends was a day lost to him. Lost in his thoughts, his eyes followed the chirping birds above their heads.

"Your powers are really remarkable. Not only wind but also the gift to communicate with animals." Chanyeol shook his head. "It is a gift, and definitely a strong base to rule a country.”

"I wish it were like that. I am grateful for my abilities, but it certainly wasn’t the right moment for me to take this much responsibility yet. Your coronation happened under different circumstances.” Sehun hadn’t meant to sound so bitter, but his heart still ached at the memory of his loss. The feeling was still crystal clear and he wondered if it would ever feel less sharp, like a knife that was stirring around in his gut. The food suddenly tasted stale.

Chanyeol had been passed the crown three years ago. For Chanyeol to be King, his parents didn’t have to die. The kingdom of Bul allowed the passing on of the crown when the King or Queen deemed their heir to be a suitable age. Chanyeol had been fully prepared for this. Yet Sehun knew he was being unreasonable. It felt like yesterday when a messenger had handed him a letter with the official seal of Bul that carried the message of the passing of Chanyeol’s older sister. The words had been scrawled messily and Sehun had wondered if Chanyeol had been shaking while writing it. The uneven paper told him of the tears the other had cried. Back then, his parents had still been alive. They’d received an official letter too, of course, but this letter had only been for Sehun. When they saw each other at the funeral, Sehun had been shocked to see the state his friend was in back then.

He knew that Chanyeol could somewhat relate to his situation. Yet, it was easier to dwell in his sorrow and feel lost in his grief. Even when someone else had felt the same way before, Sehun didn’t stop feeling any less hurt. The only person he could really open up to about it was his older brother.

His thoughts were interrupted when Chanyeol cleared his throat for the third time. Sehun hadn’t heard him the first two times but now he was listening. "I know it’s not the same." Chanyeol repeated now that he had Sehun’s attention "You're not alone in this though. I'll be by your side, you have your brother and soon you'll be a leading figure in the biggest alliance the seven kingdoms have ever witnessed."

Chanyeol was right, Sehun knew that. The reason behind the meeting of the rulers was the idea to form an alliance including all of the seven kingdoms. Never before, had an alliance between all seven of them been formed. There were bonds and alliances between two or three kingdoms but all seven of them hadn’t been able to agree on all terms before. Now, it seemed like they were at least willing to try.

"It won't be easy, but it's possible." Chanyeol had noticed the traces of doubt on Sehun’s face. They all knew it was an ambitious project, but Chanyeol had always been the more sanguine of the two.

"That’s right. Even though it is a great burden too, I am grateful to be able to host the negotiations.” Sehun smiled. "My brother has prepared a parade for when everyone is here, right hyung?"

Being pulled out of his thoughts, Sehun’s brother looked a little lost for a moment before he realized that Sehun had spoken to him.  "Yes, everything’s pretty much done.” He replied but it quickly became clear that Sehun wasn’t content with the reply just yet.

"Can't you tell me a little more, hyung? I'm so curious... You're so secretive." Sehun nudged him and smiled. For some reason, he felt the need to include his brother in the conversation so he wasn’t going to give up that easily. Even though his brother could be very serious at times, when Sehyun huffed and rolled his eyes, Sehun knew he was just joking around.

"There’ll be music and dancing, as well as the military part of the parade. They did a test run earlier while we were welcoming the 

King of Bul.” He glanced at Chanyeol. “As far as I know, everything went well. But isn’t it better if I don’t spill too many details and you can see for yourself on the day of the parade anyway?” His eyes landed on Sehun again. “Actually, now that you remind me, I still need to talk to some of the generals about the security measurements. I hope you don’t mind me leaving my spot for a while.” Pointing in the direction of a group of men in the traditional uniform of Balam were chattering noisily, Sehyun got up.

His younger brother just smiled and thanked him before turning back to Chanyeol who was watching Sehun’s brother head over to the group of men. “How is he dealing with it?” He asked. The death of their parents hadn’t only hit Sehun hard, they had left their traces on his older brother as well.

"He's... Still mourning. Some days I feel like it’s better, then it seems to be back to zero.” Suddenly uncomfortable, Sehun shrugged as his eyes focused on the plate in front of him. “Things haven’t been the same since the accident.”

Chanyeol swallowed. He hadn’t meant to breach such a heavy topic again. Now that it had already happened though, he felt the need to say something. "I can't even express how I feel about your parents death." He told Sehun quietly. "I would like to make a vow. Let’s promise to make this alliance work. For both our kingdoms and the people as well as the other kingdoms. Let’s be the best Kings they’ve ever heard about.” He was grinning cheekily again.

Sehun was quiet for a moment, but then a smile broke out on his face. "I promise." He agreed as he took his hand and shook it firmly.

In a sudden outburst of affection, Chanyeol wrapped his arm around Sehun and held him close for a moment.

"We should take a walk in the gardens tomorrow before the others arrive." Sehun suggested quietly.

"That would be nice. Will your mob of animals follow like the last time?" Chanyeol asked, trying to lighten the mood. It was true though, whenever he’d spent time with Sehun there was a small group of animals sticking around, no matter if they were fluttering above their heads, scuttling between their legs or even slithering and crawling over their arms.

Sehun ignored the comment but his fingers had absentmindedly begun to brush over the head of the small snake that had been snoozing in his lap. Chanyeol hadn’t even noticed it until now. "Baekhyun could join us as well." Sehun suggested. For a moment, he considered suggesting a route to the cliffs instead of heading to the gardens, but since his parent’s death, he hadn’t gone back to cliffs just yet. The palace of Balam was built on top of cliffs, the city of Mipung spreading out beneath the palace.

Chanyeol nodded, feeling Baekhyun's eyes on him. While Sehun and Chanyeol had chatted, Baekhyun had taken his time to feed the birds that had landed on the table once they’d realized that Baekhyun was attempting to feed them. All the while, he’d continuously sipped on his wine and was more than buzzed. The combination of alcohol and the way Chanyeol had showed Sehun affection had left a bitter after taste on his tongue and he had frowned when the two had stuck their heads together as they’d talked.

_ "The Baekhyun boy is jealous." _ The tiny snake in Sehun’s lap suddenly lisped, now slithering up his chest to drape itself around Sehun's neck.  _ "Look at him." _ It insisted. Looking up, Sehun told the snake not to taunt his friends but shot Baekhyun a concerned glance, realising that his reptile had been right.

Baekhyun was looking away, jaw set tight and fingertips glowing. "I think we've had enough wine." It seemed like Chanyeol had realized that Baekhyun seemed to be upset for some reason too because he was now looking at the smaller man worriedly, reaching out to stop him when he saw Baekhyun reach for his glass again. If it were anybody else that swatted Chanyeol’s hand away like Baekhyun did right then, the person could have got in serious trouble. The light wielder just glared and put the glass to his lips anyway, disturbing the birds with the way he threw his head back angrily as he downed the almost full glass.

The small flock of birds landed on Sehun instead, not minding the snake around his neck. None of the animals around him ever hurt each other. _"Baekhyun is mad."_ _"Why is Baekhyun mad?" "Did we upset Baekhyun?"_ Sehun's head was filled with the excited chatter of the tiny birds.

In the meantime, Chanyeol attempted to do damage control as he tried to come up with something to say. "Baek, you shouldn't drink too much. You'll feel bad tomorrow." He ended up saying, knowing that his words probably hadn’t helped at all.

As expected, Baekhyun just pouted and put his empty cup aside. "Maybe I feel bad anyway."

The words felt like a stab to Chanyeol’s heart and he looked away from Baekhyun, eyes landing on his other close friend. "Sehun, I think it's time for us to get some rest. The journey has been exhausting and I’m looking forward to sleeping in a real bed again.” He was entirely ignoring Baekhyun’s words mostly because he couldn’t think of anything to reply.

"Yes, of course. I think the dinner is pretty much done anyway. Everyone is allowed to leave as they wish." Sehun nodded in understanding.

"Thanks so much for this nice evening and the food, but please don't feel pressured to serve us meat next time, we can go a meal without it." Chanyeol said and put his hand on Sehun's shoulder again before realizing that things like that were the things that set Baekhyun off. At the same time, he was annoyed that the other behaved like this just because he was being affectionate towards a very close friend.

"It's alright, Chanyeol. Sleep well." Sehun met his eyes and then looked at Baekhyun. When he realized the other was looking right back at him, he tried to signal him that he had no intention of being a threat by getting closer to Chanyeol. The older man meant a lot to him, but it was nothing more than a very beautiful friendship. But Baekhyun averted his eyes and Sehun watched as Chanyeol got up and held out his hand to the smaller man that seemed so troubled. "Come on, you need some water and then rest." After that, Baekhyun seemed to crumble in on himself and followed Chanyeol almost obediently even though he still refused to take the offered hand.

_ 'Sehun, why are they like this?’ _ The snake around Sehun’s neck asked him when the strange couple had left the dining hall that had slowly begun to empty already.

"They're..  just a little complicated sometimes. I hope they figure it out.” He said, his eyes now trained on his brother who was actively chatting with a few generals.

The snake didn't understand though. " _ But they like each other? Why don't they know? It’s so obvious." _ Sehun could clearly hear the distress in the snake’s words.

"Because it's a little more complicated than that. Chanyeol thinks he can't be together with Baekhyun because of his position." He explained. Sometimes he wondered if he’d ever get into a situation like that. He didn’t know how he would act, so he had no right to judge Baekhyun.

_ "Because he's a King?" _ The snake slithered down Sehun's arm and towards the ground.  _ "But if he’s the King, he needs to have people close that he can trust, doesn’t he?” _

"Yes of course. That's why I have my brother. And Chanyeol too. And all of you, of course." Sehun smiled, his fingers gently trailing over the warm scales. As a response, the snake decided against sliding onto the ground and instead wrapped itself around Sehun's wrist, it's vibrant red colour creating a pretty contrast to all the gold that was adorning his arms. It didn’t speak up anymore, but Sehun could still see the worry in its eyes.

"You're the prettiest jewellery I could ask for." The young king mumbled quietly before standing up, officially ending the banquet.

The next morning, Sehun was already waiting in front of the gates to the royal gardens when Chanyeol stepped out of the doorway.

He and Baekhyun had spent the rest of the night in an awkward silence that had continued in the morning so when Chanyeol had asked Baekhyun if he wanted to join him, the other had quickly declined.

"Does Baekhyun not want to join us?" Sehun asked when he spotted Chanyeol stepping outside on his own. He’d hoped that he could settled things with Baekhyun again but that didn’t seem to be the case. When he stepped towards Chanyeol, the giant black panther next to him rose to its feet as well, eyes fixating on Chanyeol curiously. Oracle had always liked the King of Bul so when Chanyeol bent down to pet the large feline, the cat leaned into the touch. The sign of affection made him feel a little better. "No I'm afraid not, King Sehun." He  said and tried to shake off the bad feelings. He hated how much an argument with Baekhyun affected him but what affected him most was that Baekhyun was probably hurt because of him.

They began their walk through the royal gardens of the palace of Mipung and soon they got lost in their conversation. There was a lot to catch up on, so they hadn’t realize how much time had passed when they returned to the gates to the palace.

To their surprise, Sehyun was awaiting them in front of the gates. Next to him was a foreign man that Sehun had never seen before and he faintly wondered if he was a soldier but his clothing didn’t look like it. He knew all of the generals and men of higher rank in the army so there weren’t many options left.

“Hyung, is everything alright? I was taking a walk with Chanyeol. I didn’t think you’d be looking for me?” He assumed that this was exactly what his brother had been doing. He was too busy to just stand in front of the gates to the royal gardens for no reason so he was sure he’d been looking for him.

“Yes, everything is alright, don’t worry, Sehun.” His brother smiled and then bowed to Chanyeol. “Good morning, King Chanyeol.” He greeted him politely. Even though Sehun was close with Chanyeol, his brother still wanted to be polite when he was around the other King.

“So, why were you waiting for me then?” Sehun asked when his brother had turned to him again.

“I wanted you to meet someone.” Sehyun paused and then motioned the foreign man to step closer. He obeyed immediately, stopping beside Sehun’s older brother and bowed deeply. Not minding him, Sehun’s brother searched for Sehun’s eyes.

“Sehun, may I introduce you your new personal guard? This is Huang Zitao.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this, please leave Kudos or a comment, I'm always happy about feedback and also it lets me know what I can do better so you'll enjoy my writing more! You can find a map for the Kingdoms [here](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/181078377797/exo-superpower-fanfiction-alternative-universe). Also, you can find a moodboard for Sehun [here](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/181276843102/exo-superpower-fanfiction-alternative-universe). Have a wonderful weekend!


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally was going to post this chapter next week as a start into the new year but I had a really great photoshoot todays so I'm happy and I felt like uploading already! Please enjoy!

Sehun turned his head to his brother, eyes wide and his mouth slightly opened in surprise.  When a new voice pulled him out of his stupor though, Sehun’s eyes trailed over to the man beside Sehyun.

"Your highness, my name is Huang Zitao of the royal army. It is my honor to serve you personally."

Their eyes met for a moment, and Sehun wondered if the other didn’t know it was impolite to directly meet the King’s eyes or if he just didn’t care. From the way he behaved beside that though, he didn’t think that the other wanted to offend him. Sehun found it difficult to look away, the other’s eyes captivating him in a way that surprised him even more. They looked a little foreign, just like the man himself, and they were slung in a very beautiful but fierce way. He blinked once and then finally tore his gaze away, instead looking at his brother for a second just to see that he was obviously waiting for his reaction.

Clearing his throat, Sehun turned his attention back to Zitao.

"I am pleased to meet you, even though it is a surprise.” Sehun sent a glance at his brother. He would have at least liked to have had a warning before he got confronted with this situation, especially because now Chanyeol was present too. “I'm Oh Sehun, King of Balam, but I think you know that.” He paused again, not sure how to continue. “Since my brother selected you as a man that is suitable to be the King’s personal guard, you must be a truly skilled warrior. I assume that we’ll be spending lots of time together then." He was smiling a little now but the other man still carried the same expression that didn’t give anything away, only the look in his eyes hinting any emotion at all. He didn't seem to be much older than Sehun himself and when he’d first laid eyes on him, Sehun had found the stranger to be stunning. With tanned skin and an athletic built, most likely a result from his work in the army, his body stood a small contrast to his face with the lips that curled in a feline way. At a second glance, Sehun thought that his eyes could have been of royal blood.

The man, Zitao, nodded and bowed his head again a little. "I am truly honoured that I was chosen as your personal guard by your brother, the leader of the army, himself. It is a great honour and I will do everything in my power to protect your life. Therefore, you could consider me your shadow from now on. However, I do not want to bother or annoy you, so I will listen to every instruction you give me. I am looking forward to my time as your guard."

Now that he was speaking a little more, Sehun could notice a slight accent. The name already told him that Zitao came from the north, but he wondered how far up north that actually was.

"I'm sure we'll get along just fine.” He was smiling fully now. “My brother seems to put great trust in you so I will do the same. I highly value and believe in my brother’s judgement. You may call me Sehun if you like." If they were going to spend a lot of time together, Sehun was at least going to try and make it comfortable.

If he was surprised, the new guard didn’t show it. "You can call me Tao, your majesty, although I am not sure I will be able to call you by your first name as it is a great honour, but if it is your wish, I will follow your command." He replied.

"Whatever you prefer, Tao.” Sehun liked the sound of the nickname.  “I hope you do not mind animals, though.” He chuckled, having noticed Tao’s eyes wandering off to look at the panther that was brushing against Sehun’s legs, eyes trained on the foreigner. Oracle was always wary around strangers. “I’ll see that it is arranged that you move into a room in my quarters.” Sehun continued.

"I love animals." Was the immediate reply of Tao. It wasn't even a lie, he had grown up with dogs. Animals could be trusted as opposed to humans, that’s what he’d learned in life so far at least. He looked at the black panther now standing next to Sehun.

"This is Oracle. She will not hesitate to harm anyone that tries to hurt me, but my friends are her friends as well. You do not have to fear her." The King’s fingers were combing through the black fur softly. “You can try and touch her.”

Hesitating at first, Tao eventually held out his hand. He knew that animals were often able to judge a human’s character better than humans themselves and his eyes locked with the big feline for a moment. The panther sniffed his outstretched hand but then opened its mouth and for a moment, Tao thought it was going to bite him. But then, Oracle licked his hand, the rough tongue brushing over his skin.

"She likes you." Sehun said in delight. "I guess that settles it then."

"Oh, thank you." Tao was talking to the panther. To him, it felt like an honour to be accepted by such a majestic creature.

Even though he’d been quiet for the most part, Sehyun had been watching the exchange and was glad that Sehun and even Oracle seemed to approve of the new guard. Now, there were other important matters to discuss though.

Earlier this morning, the Messengers of Mul and Eoleum had arrived, proclaiming the arrival of their Queens to be around midday. Now that the sun had risen high up into the sky already, Sehyun was certain that the Queens would be bound to arrive in the matter of one or two hours. It was typical of his brother to forget the time, especially when he was talking to friends or the animals.

“It’s quite late already, the Queen of Mul and the Queen of Eoleum will be here soon.” He now told his younger brother who immediately nodded.

“You’re right… Chanyeol and I chatted for a lot longer than I thought and the time went by so quickly. I shall get dressed for the arrival of the Queens of the southern countries." He instantly agreed and Chanyeol mumbled something about having to get changed as well. As they all headed towards the palace, Tao in tow, Sehyun pulled Sehun aside for a moment.

"I will prepare everything for the arrival of the Queens and the parade, so I will leave you with the guard now, alright? I trust in his abilities, I chose him wisely. His service in the royal army was flawless and even though he does not stem from Balam, he seems trustworthy. I will make sure that I see you before the Queens arrive." He told his younger brother with a smile and then a nodded towards Tao and a small bow to Chanyeol before he left the room.

Before he was able to thank his brother, he was gone already and Sehun turned to Chanyeol instead. “I will see you at the welcoming of the Queens of Mul and Eoleum?” He smiled. “I hope Baekhyun will be in a better mood now.” He added as an afterthought.

“I hope so too.” Chanyeol replied easily, but Sehun could tell from the sound of his voice that the issue with Baekhyun was clearly still bothering him. After that, they parted ways, both King’s heading to their respective quarters.

Now that Chanyeol had left as well, Sehun and Tao were alone for the first time. They walked through the corridors in silence until they reached the heavy doors to Sehun’s quarters. The two soldiers that were guarding it didn’t seem surprised when Tao followed Sehun into his quarters, so he assumed that his brother had already informed most of the soldiers about his new personal guard. For a moment his gratitude for his brother being by his side overwhelmed him. Once they were inside, he turned around to face Tao, catching the other letting his eyes wander over the pompous interior they’d just walked into. "While I get dressed you are free to do as you please." Sehun informed him. Two servants were already waiting at the door to his bedroom.

"I'll..." Tao looked around the room, seeing a small group of birds sitting on a windowsill and a snake dozing on a chair in the sun. "I think I’ll meet some of your friends."

"That’s a brilliant idea. But be careful with the snake, she doesn't like to be disturbed in her sunbath." He laughed and then disappeared into his bedroom to get dressed properly.

In the meantime, Tao looked around the room for a little longer. He’d only ever seen the training grounds that belonged to the palace, never before had he been inside the actual palace. The luxury that he was facing now was unknown to him and it was just a little overwhelming. Settling for something a little more familiar, he walked over to the window and held his hand out for the birds. It was probably better to stay away from the snake for now.

Inside his bedroom, Sehun got dressed in a beautiful flowing fabric that was wrapped around his hips and this time it covered his chest as well. Once again, his arms were adorned with gold and jewels. When he stepped into the room with Tao again, he was pleasantly surprised to see him with a flock of birds having settled on his head, shoulders and arms.

"I see they like you already. Their singing is beautiful, isn't it?" He laughed when a few of the birds immediately fluttered to him when they spotted him.

Now that the King was dressed in even more expensive robes, the gold on his arms shining in the light, Tao realized how handsome the young King was for the first time. The similarity to his brother, the general, was striking, but at the same time they looked very different too. Where Sehun’s brother looked older and serious, the King had something soft and innocent about him. However, this was a stark contrast to the muscles that he could see beneath the white fabric, the strong jawline and arched brows that he noticed now that he looked at his face properly. Altogether, Tao thought that Sehun looked like he was fit to be a King. There was just something in his eyes and the way that he carried himself that was screaming royalty. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he spoke up. "Yes, I think they got even louder when you entered the room. It seems like they’re singing for you, it’s cute."

"I know. They’re lovely." The young King had stepped next to Tao and for a moment, the other thought he was going to stay there but then he moved on, heading to where the snake was resting in the sun. It was the same one that had been resting in his lap the previous night during dinner. When it sensed Sehun’s presence, it raised its head and almost instantly began its journey towards him. Slithering up his arm, the small body curled itself around his arm. "So pretty.." he praised it quietly, his voice soft.

Tao had only heard about the King’s affinity towards animals but it was something else to witness it in person. It made him curious. "So you can really speak to them?" He asked, still not quite believing it. Also, he wasn’t sure if he was overstepping any boundaries but so far Sehun had seemed rather easy-going and not opposed to talking to him comfortably.

Turning around to face him again, Sehun smiled. "Yes, I inherited the gift of being able to talk to animals of all kinds. My mother had the same gift. I am eternally thankful that it was passed on to me, it is hard to imagine what my life would be like without it.” The wind was gently caressing his skin and a strand of hair that had come loose from his complicated hairdo. The wind kept moving it into his eyes so Sehun brushed it away.

Thinking about his own gift, Tao nodded. Just like Sehun, he had inherited his power from his mother as well. "It is a beautiful gift. You're a link between humanity and nature, the kingdom of Balam is very fortunate."

"You could say that.” Sehun smiled. “But I am thankful that I inherited my father’s power as well. The wind is a powerful gift, and it can be quite refreshing at times.” He chuckled, the wind picking up just a tiny bit. Tao could feel it ruffle his hair and for a moment he was taken by surprise at how intimate the gesture seemed. It was as if Sehun had indirectly touched him, having reached out with the invisible arms of the wind. He laughed awkwardly, shaking his head a little.

Now that he had met the kind of Balam for the first time, it was almost a pity that they wouldn’t be spending too much time together. He seemed like an honest man who had his heart in the right spot, at least that was the impression Tao had after meeting him.

Yet, none of it really mattered, because in the end, Tao always completed the tasks that he’d been assigned. And whoever it was that had convinced even the brother of the King to choose Tao as the personal guard for Oh Sehun, the King of Balam, relied on Tao’s talents.

But whoever it was didn’t have to worry. Because Tao had never failed any of his assignments before. And this one wasn’t going to be an exception, because Tao was an assassin that prided himself on his lack of failures. He never left any mess behind.

It was a pity, but if he was to successfully finish his job, the King of Balam had to die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Did you expect this? I would love to hear about your thoughts in the comments or if you left Kudos! You can find a chanbaek moodboard [here](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/181524272407/exo-superpower-fanfiction-alternative-universe)! Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was on vacation, that's why I couldn't post the chapter up until now! Thank you for reading <3

_ When Tao was first told about the plan, he instantly realized that it wasn’t going to be easy. _

_ They were standing in a corner of a tavern in the backstreets of the worst part of Mipung. When Tao had first arrived in the city of a constant, slight breeze, that gave the settlement its name, he had admired the city’s beauty and wealth. However, it didn’t take long until he got to know the nastier parts of the capital of Balam. _

_ In his business, Tao was used to it though. The grime and the dirt in the streets, the overpowering smell of alcohol and the clinking of glasses in the pubs, the stench of sweat, bad breath and blood. It wasn’t luxurious but it paid well. _

_ The man had found Tao, like everyone usually did when they came to ask for his service. With a hood covering his face, he’d pulled Tao into the dark corner of the pub Tao usually went to to mingle with the crowd. Immediately, Tao’s hand had moved to the knife hidden in his belt but the other man had stopped him before he could pull it out. _

_ “I have a job for you.” _

_ The words made Tao falter, and he listened to what the man had to say. _

_ It was ambitious, that was for sure. _

_ When he realized that the man was serious about it though, they agreed on meeting again in one of the dark streets of Mipung where nobody would be able to listen and were nobody would be looking for them either. _

_ Exactly how they’d agreed, they met up again three nights later. _

_ It was raining but the air was warm when the man told him the plan, detail by detail. Everything was already planned, and Tao had been surprised. Usually, he was the one who had to do the thinking on how to execute the job. This time, everything was perfectly laid out for him. _

_ Yet, Tao wasn’t too surprised by that. Whoever it was that wanted to see the King of Balam dead was certainly trying to make sure that Tao didn’t fail. _

_ His hair was sticking to his face by the time he finished listening to the plot. He didn’t have many questions because the whole plan seemed plausible. It was clear to him that the man he was talking to wasn’t the one that had planned all of this though. Instead, it sounded more like he was reciting something that someone else had told him. It made him wonder who really wanted to see the King dead. He wasn’t stupid enough to ask though. _

_ It would be easy enough to join the army. He was a foreigner, but he was skilled. If he didn’t mess up badly, he would be able to fit in just perfectly without anyone noticing anything strange. Further information on how to proceed would be provided to him once he’d settled in. _

_ Tao watched the hooded man disappear into the night and inhaled. The smell of wet stones and summer rain filled his nose and he closed his eyes for a moment. Sometimes he questioned the path he’d taken in life. But then again, Tao remembered that he’d never really had a choice at all. _

-

"The remaining rulers of the other kingdoms will arrive here soon. A few magpies told me they're on their way through Mipung. Their flock was attracted by the shining armour of the soldiers, I assume.”

Sehun and Tao were standing in the sunlit room, the heat of the light shining through the window almost burning Tao’s exposed arms. Sehun had noticed the temperature change too; ever since the King of Bul had arrived, the temperature seemed to have risen by one or two degrees. It wasn’t the first time Sehun had noticed that effect, but it astonished him anew every time he was confronted with it.

“We should leave for the welcome ceremony soon. I assume you’ll be accompanying me to all of the formal events and negotiations from now on.” It wasn’t really a question, and it wasn’t new to Sehun either. Ever since he could remember, there had been people following him around. Maids, soldiers, servants, there’d rarely been a moment when he hadn’t had company. Having a personal guard around wouldn’t make much of a difference now.

Now that he looked at Tao though, he decided that if he was going to attend the arrival of the other rulers, he would have to adapt a bit better. “Is this the only uniform you possess? It fits you well, but it is a little dirty. I personally do not mind, but the others might find it unsuitable to be greeted like that.”

"I’m afraid all of my belongings are still in the training quarters. However, I think that most of my clothing is unsuitable for such occasions. I have never needed fine clothes, nor have I been in the position to afford them.” He explained.

Sehun nodded. "I will call for someone to quickly dress you."

Before that day, Tao had never been dressed by anyone else, besides his parents when he’d been a young child obviously, and he decided that he didn’t mind having to dress by himself. It made him feel quite uncomfortable and even a little sheepish when the maid’s eyes grew wide as he retracted knife by knife from various layers of clothing. He’d insisted on helping her so that she wouldn’t get hurt, and at first she’d been adamant about doing it herself but once Tao had started pulling out hidden weapons with skilled fingers, she had been quite grateful after all. The maid clad him in expensive robes and thick but considerably light armour.

"You look magnificent." Sehun told him after Tao had returned from getting dressed. "It suits you well."

"Thank you for letting me wear such expensive fabrics." Tao said and bowed to show his gratitude. They were now on their way to the front of the palace where the parade to greet the two Queens would end. There was talk about the water Queen bringing dragons going through the palace and they’d just finished examining the chambers that had been prepared for the Queens. Since their relationship wasn’t nearly as established as his friendship with Chanyeol, Sehun was certain that they'd be more critical than his friend and he made sure to leave them fresh flowers, delicate sheets and expensive gifts.

The noises grew louder as they approached the hall in which Sehun had welcomed Chanyeol just the previous day. Even though this was going to be a lot more nerve-wracking as it wasn’t his close friend that he was welcoming but two Queens that he had to win over in order to settle a peace treaty, Sehun was looking forward to the upcoming events and especially the parade. They had decided to prepare the parade for that day since it was a national holiday in the kingdom of Balam. Centuries ago, settlers had founded the first village in this specific area that would later turn into the capital of Balam, the city of Mipung. Most citizens did not know most of the tales behind most holidays but they did know about the annual parade that was prepared for the holiday. Sehun had been quite pleased when his brother had suggested combining the parade and the arrival of the rulers of the other kingdoms.

"I'm so excited." Sehun announced to Tao once they’d entered the giant hall. There were several people milling around, seemingly busy with last-minute preparations. He craned his head, looking out for one of his favourite generals. "Do you know General Lee Donghae?"

Having studied all of the important figures of Balam's army for his task, Tao knew who the young King was talking about. "I do but I don't think he'd recognise me. He never spoke to me directly but I saw him during exercises a few times." He answered easily, staying one step behind Sehun while he scanned their surroundings. Until he received further information, he was to act like the personal guard of the King and he was going to make sure that no one had any reason to doubt his actions.

"That makes sense… Oh, he's over there." Sehun got distracted when he caught sight of his friend and then strode over to him, Tao in tow. "Hyung, aren't you excited about the parade, too?"

Turning around, Donghae smiled at Sehun, his eyes flitting over to Tao for a second, immediately sizing him up. It was rare to see unfamiliar faces in the palace, especially in close proximity to the King. "Oh, your highness, I'm happy to see you before the parade begins." Donghae spoke up. "How are you?" He asked, holding out his hand for Oracle, who had accompanied them. She’d always stuck to Sehun in public ever since the coronation just to make sure he was protected. Even though Sehun had explained to her earlier that he now had a guard for that purpose too, she neither trusted Tao enough yet, nor did Sehun want her to stop being around him all the time.

"I'm well, thank you for asking. You have a good spot for the parade." Sehun motioned to one of the balconies in front of them. They were a perfect spot to watch the parade from and the palace certainly had enough of them.

"Yes. But your spot on the grand balcony will be the best. I was chatting with your brother earlier, it's all ready for you, your majesty."

"Yeah, that’s true. I was going to invite you over but I assume you have to stay here?" Sehun wondered.

"Yes, I’ll have to stay here. Don't worry, I'm always close enough to get to you in an emergency." Donghae said and reached out to squeeze Sehun's shoulder. "Talking about emergencies, is he your new guard?" He looked over at Tao who had closely watched their interaction.

"Yes, this is Huang Zitao. My brother said he's a great warrior, and I putting my trust in his recommendation."

Donghae sized him up. Tao knew he didn't look like the strongest man but he'd win against this general in the blink of an eye. Literally. "We have met before, General Lee. But I'm sure you don't remember me." Tao bowed. "It's nice to meet you again."

"Nice to meet you too." He bowed as well.

Their conversation was cut short when the sound of drums pierced through the air. Sehun looked up in alarm. "Oh, it's time!"

Hurriedly exchanging goodbyes, they hastened to get to the grand balcony. As they passed the open doors to the several other balconies, they could clearly hear the music which was coming from the streets, amplified by the wind gusting through the streets filled with the citizens of Mipung, carrying the sounds to even the farthest corners of the city.

"I'm so nervous." Sehun suddenly admitted as they left beautiful glass doors, that tainted the walls in hundreds of colours, behind. Taking a deep breath, Sehun stepped onto the balcony and looked over the crowd of people beneath him.

"You don't have to be. Everyone seems excited. They love you.” Tao said and stopped him when Sehun tried to step closer to the bannister. "Let me check the crowd first please, there might people with a bow and arrow or similar weapons hiding in there." He explained when he noticed Sehun’s confused expression. When the King nodded in understanding, Tao walked past him. Once he’d reached the bannister, Tao blinked and time stopped.

When his eyes opened, everyone had frozen in their movement and he turned around to take a quick look at Sehun. His shoulders looked tense and he’d been licking his lips, frozen midway in the motion. Around them, more soldiers were situated on the right and left hand sides of the balcony. He was surprised that the King’s brother wasn’t there. Turning around, he finally took the time to scan the crowd. He knew it was pretty senseless since anybody could be hiding weaponry beneath their clothes but he still found himself looking closer at the people that appeared suspicious to him at first. He blinked again and suddenly time was moving again, only a fraction of a second having passed. To make sure that no one noticed anything, he looked around a few times again before retreating back to Sehun.

"It’s clear as far as I can tell from up here."

"How can you know so quickly?" Sehun’s lips still glistened a little from when he’d just licked them. His eyes flitted over the crowd, fingers trembling as they touched the rail. Before Sehun could receive a reply, the crowd had become quiet as they’d spotted Sehun at the balcony and the drums had died down too. Sehun knew it was time to speak.

Up until now, Sehun hadn’t spoken to that many of his citizens since his coronation. In addition to that, the two Queens of the north and their people were right in front of him, situated in the spacious courtyard of the palace where comfortable pavilions had been set up for them to watch the parade. His eyes were trained on a sea of people dressed in all shades of white and blue behind the two Queens who were looking up at him and Sehun forced himself to speak up.

"I welcome you, the Queen of Mul and you, the Queen of Eoleum, to the kingdom of Balam. I, Oh Sehun, King of Balam and son of Oh Seyoung of Balam and Oh Yerim, heiress of Dongmul, welcome the army and the people of Balam as well as the people of Mul and the people of Eoleum to the parade held for the arrival of the King of Bul and the Queens of Mul and Eoleum on our national holiday. May the wind carry my voice to you and declare the joyous message."

Behind Sehun, Tao could feel the wind pick up and to carry the message further than Sehun's voice could have ever reached. Once the King was done speaking, his words were answered with cheers and music. "That was it, your highness. We need you down at the entrance to meet the Queens." His brother said, having stepped through the colourful glass doors onto the balcony while Sehun had been talking.

"Ah, hyung. Yes of course." Sehun didn’t question him, instantly following down the long stairs, Tao always staying close behind him. When they stepped into broad daylight, Sehun was glad that his brother was with him now that he was facing the two Queens. Gathering his courage,  Sehun smiled at the two beautiful woman in front of him, his heart pounding in his chest. "Welcome, Queen of Mul. Welcome, Queen of Eoleum. I'm glad to finally welcome you in the city of Mipung, capital of Balam."

The Queen of Mul stepped forward first. Sehun had met her once before and back then he hadn’t realized it because he’d been younger, but now that she was standing in front of him, Kim Junmyeon, the Queen of Mul, was tiny. Cascading down her neck and back, her black hair that seemed to have a electric blue shimmer to it when the sun shone on it, framed her delicate face. The dress she was wearing matched the clothes of her people, a beautiful cerulean blue with intricate stitching of lotus flowers that adorned the expensive silk. Strapped to her hip was a small flask of water, allowing her to control her element wherever she went. She’d never once left her palace without it.

"I greet you, King Sehun of Balam, and I thank you for your invitation and hospitality. My people and I really appreciate the effort you put into our welcoming." She bowed slightly. In return, Sehun first touched his left and then his right shoulder with his right hand to great her in his people’s traditional way. Then he turned to face the Queen of Eoleum to greet her the same way.

"Queen Minseok of Eoleum, I hope you had a calm journey?"

Sizing him up, Kim Minseok stepped next to Junmyeon. The Queen of Eoleum was a few centimetres shorter than Junmyeon, but everyone that laid eyes on her could feel the power she exuded. With silver hair that reached her neck in wild curls, she stood stark contrast to the put-together form of Kim Junmyeon, yet she was no less stunning. Clad in a white dress with silver elements that reminded Sehun of an armour, she seemed a lot less approachable. Yet when she spoke up, her tone was professional and polite. "Thank you, the journey was calm for the most of it, yet it was delightful to know that we have finally arrived and are able to rest later."

"That’s understandable. Would you like to join me on the royal balcony to watch the parade? King Chanyeol, King of Bul, will come and join us upstairs so we can enjoy the event together. I am certain that you must be hungry, there is a feast prepared for after the parade has taken off to the city centre. I'll let your quarters be shown to you before that, you may take some time to get ready before lunch.”

After introducing his brother to the Queens and greeting the wife of Queen Minseok, an equally small lady named Luhan , Sehun tried to maintain small talk as they headed into the palace and descended up the stairs, a considerable number of their people in tow.

Following her wife, Luhan was walking close behind Minseok, she hurried up a little to catch up with her so they could lace their fingers together. Right behind them, Junmyeon was leading on the people of Mul, the man known as Yifan the Dragon Tamer next to her.

After exchanging even more greetings once they’d met Chanyeol on the royal balcony, they watched the beginning of the parade together. While he watched the spectacle in front of him, Sehun’s nerves finally managed to calm down a little and he actually got to enjoy the parade that his brother had thoroughly prepared. When the parade had moved on from the palace to the city, it was time to lead the newcomers to their quarters before they would have lunch together. Sehun sent out servants to take them to the respective parts of the royal palace.

It had taken approximately one minute for Luhan to fling herself onto the giant bed in the bedroom of their quarters. Watching her wife getting dressed in a masterpiece of a dress, she could feel the exhaustion drain from her bones already just from resting on the soft mattress. "Oh Sehun is sweet, although he still reminds me of a child." Luhan told her conversationally, her eyes following the movement of the silk as it was pulled up Minseok’s arms.

"He became King when he was not ready, but so far he seems to be doing very well. Did I never tell you how he became King so suddenly?" Minseok asked, eyes meeting Luhan’s. She looked quite breathtaking on the bed.

"No, I don’t think you ever talked about it." Luhan replied and sent her a smirk, completed with waggling eyebrows when she realized Minseok was looking right back at her.

If she hadn’t been about to tell a sad story, Minseok certainly would have flirted back. However, she just cleared her throat. "To break it down to the essentials, his parents passed away suddenly only half a year ago due to an accident. Even though his brother is older than him – he’s the one we met earlier – it was decided that Sehun, the gifted younger brother, was supposed to become King, due to the fact that his brother did not inherit his parent’s powers.”

"Oh... That's… unfortunate." Luhan sat up a little, suddenly empathizing with the young man. "How did they pass away?" She wondered as she got up to stride over to the wall and stop in front of a large mirror with intricate ornaments to braid her long hair.

"I heard that they were up on the cliffs when the ground beneath them just broke away. No one could have known that was going to happen, it was a natural cause. Apparently, they fell so deep they couldn't even find their bodies."

"That's horrible. I'll be nicer to him then." Luhan turned around and Minseok could tell by her expression that she genuinely meant it.

"Were you planning to be mean to him?" She asked before dismissing the maid that had helped her get dressed. Sitting down on the bed after the maid had left, she waited for Luhan’s reply.

"No of course not, but this way I'll take him more seriously than I thought I would. He looked like he'd never encountered any hardships, but maybe I'm wrong." She shrugged. Within three steps, she was standing in front of her wife.

Minseok sighed. "Never judge a book by its cover. He looks like a pretty boy, I agree, but he had a really hard time due to his parents’ sudden death. That's why I'm still unsure about this alliance, he's inexperienced."

"I know. But the others aren't, at least not to that extent. I still think it's a good idea. You should at least be open their suggestions." She replied and took her hand. "But in the end, it's up to you."

"Everyone knows I rely on my wife too much, that's why they call you Queen as well." Minseok said with a tender smile.

"Hm... I'm truly majestic." She giggled but turned away, slipping out of her dress. It wasn’t nearly as complicated as Minseok’s so she was able to undress and redress on her own.

Rolling her eyes, Minseok couldn’t help but snort. "Not if you keep walking around in only your underwear. That might be my favourite look on you, but it's not very majestic."

"I think I look fairly magnificent." She smiled and strutted around the room to flaunt her body to Minseok before finally getting dressed in a fresh dress as well.

While waiting for Luhan to finish up getting dressed so she could help her with her hair, Minseok headed over to a table with a glass carafe and crystal glasses, filling two of them. Raising one to her lips, she took a few sips. When she pulled the glass away, small ice crystals in the shape of her lips were imprinted on the glass.

Chanyeol, the King of Bul had greeted them on the royal balcony just before the parade. He was a handsome, energetic man, but Minseok couldn't find it in her to like him very much yet. Fire and ice just don't mix well.

In another part of the castle Junmyeon had just finished a quick bath, feeling comfortable being completely surrounded by water again. The long journey had taken its toll on her and unlike Mul, Balam did not have nearly as many lakes and open waters that made her feel safe. Freshly dressed, she entered the room that had been assigned to her most loyal advisor and friend.

"My Queen." Yifan said, bowing his head to her slightly with a smile on his lips.

"Yifan, you know better than to do that." She sighed, not liking it too much when he addressed her so politely. They were way beyond that. "How is our present doing?"

"It's doing well. I'm trying to keep it warm but not too hot, we don't want it to hatch just yet. Because of the journey and the changes in temperature, it’s tough to estimate an exact point in time though." He explained, eyes trailing down the curves showcased by Junmyeon’s silken dress. It was in the same colour as the one she’d been wearing as they’d arrived, but it was far more body-hugging, not leaving much to the imagination. Yet, the ankle-length dress hid most of her skin, almost transparent sleeves covering up most of her arms, too. He’d never seen her wear the dress before, so it had to be new. If he’d seen it before, he would have remembered, Yifan was sure of that.

"I see. You are the expert though so I trust you with that." Sitting down on his bed, Junmyeon’s eyes landed on the box Yifan was tending to. "I think he'll like it. I wonder if he can talk to the dragons, too. Since he’s able to talk with animals, right? I wonder if it works for them, too."

"I'm daring to assume that he’s never met a dragon before since most people haven’t. So there is only one way to find out.” He paused. “I was thinking... You're planning to enter this ally bond, aren't you? I'd love to let King Sehun meet one of our dragons to see if he can communicate." Yifan said, trying not to seem too excited. Even though he already felt like he had a great understanding of the dragons in his care, Yifan couldn’t deny that he’d wished to really talk with them, just having a real conversation with words and not actions.

"Yes, I am planning to do that. At first I was quite doubtful, considering the land of Fire and the land of Lightning would be joining as well. But now I've come to the conclusion that we can only profit from such an alliance. Yet, I’ll have to see what the negotiations will reveal. If there are any conditions to the disadvantage of my people, I will reconsider my perspective." She looked at the handsome, tall man. “And coming back to the dragons, I’m sure that he’d be interested in it. Especially with the gift that he’s going to receive from us.”

"If all 7 kingdoms on this continent come together we'll be strong enough to defeat all enemies coming from far away. But I have high doubts about Bihaeng joining. It's secure up there in the clouds, there's no reason for them to join, at least concerning the geo-political aspect in terms of war." It always felt a little off to Yifan when he was speaking of his own people. He’d left the country of Bihaeng a long time ago, but his roots still lay in the country high up in the skies.

"Yes, I know. It's a little problematic. But there is more to such alliances than just the prevention of war. Trade, exchange of knowledge, aid. There are many reasons to consider an alliance.” Junmyeon pointed out.

Closing the box, Yifan’s eyes automatically trailed back to Junmyeon. Sometimes he wondered how she hadn’t noticed his stares yet. It made him wonder if she indeed had noticed and was just ignoring it, but he somehow doubted it. He had never wanted anyone the way he wanted the Queen of Mul. But he had no right to approach her first. He didn't have the necessary status or a royal background, so he was doomed to falling for her a little more every day while he had no chance of ever asking her to marry him.

"I think it's will soon be time for lunch.” Junmyeon’s fingers were playing with the small water bottle tied to her waist. “I heard Jongdae will arrive in the evening. I'll see how that goes." The Queen of Mul and the King of Beongae had had tiny quarrels ever since they'd met for the first time a few years back.

"You're just both hard to calculate. I think if you sit down and have a real conversation you'll get along really well. King Jongdae is a good person." Yifan said. He'd spent a little bit of time in the kingdom of Beongae before settling with the dragons in the water kingdom and all of the talk he’d heard about Jongdae, back then he’d been the crown prince, had been very positive.

"Yes, possibly. He just likes to set me off. He thinks I'm boring." She huffed in annoyance. "Anyway, I'll have to push that aside. Personal quarrels should not affect my ability to negotiate."

"It will be alright, I’m sure of that. So far, you’ve always made the right decisions for your country.” He said softly and got up, taking quick steps towards her. Bending down, his heart sped up a little when she raised her head to give him a confused look. "Would you allow me to fix your hair? There are a few loose strands.” He explained himself quickly.

"I- of course." She mumbled and met his eyes.

Gentle fingers brushed back the loose strands. He liked it best when she had her hair undone but he would be lying if he said that he liked it no matter what she did with her hair. His fingers brushed her neck a few too many times for it to be accidental, but neither of them said anything about it. These rare moments of being close to her were what Yifan lived for and he had to force himself to step away again.

"Thank you, Yifan. You're better at this than my maids" She smiled softly, turning her head to look at him. "Now, I think it's time to go. We don’t want to be late, do we?"

"We certainly don’t.” Pulled out of his thoughts, he cleared his throat. “I'm excited to see the King of Him, he was supposed to arrive in the evening, wasn't he? I’ve heard much about his amazing abilities in fighting. His strength must be hard to fathom."

"Yes, I think Sehun mentioned something along those lines. I guess we’ll have to wait and see."

-

In his bedroom, Sehun had been pacing around the room for about 10 minutes already. Annoyed by the constant movement, even the snake that had been lounging around his neck had demanded to be let down onto his bed.

"Your highness, are you okay?" Tao had asked when Sehun had stopped in his tracks in the middle of the room, staring out of the window. The wind had picked up and the air felt almost chilly.

"Yes, yes… I’m just- I just hope everything goes well. I don't want to disappoint." Sehun’s voice was quiet. "I'm not exactly a master at small talk and it is entirely different to keep up a conversation with Chanyeol than with two women I have never really talked to before."

"I’m sure they’ll be trying to keep up the conversation too since it’s in their favour as well. It will turn out well.” The guard found himself trying to soothe Sehun. " Women can be intimidating, but they're just human, too."

"I know. But-" Sehun sighed and cut himself off, shaking his head. "Thank you for your nice words..."

Tao smiled. "It's okay, I wasn't sure if you were talking to the animals or not." He shrugged, and followed Sehun out of his quarters.

When they stepped into the dining hall where they'd taken their food the night before as well, Sehun was glad when none of the other rulers had arrived before him. Sitting down on his throne, his brother joined him on his right just before the Queens and Chanyeol entered the hall one by one, the seats slowly filling one by one with people from the different kingdoms.

Just when Sehun had stood up to welcome everyone, after they all had found their seats, he was interrupted by yelling from behind the heavy doors to the hall.

Suddenly, the doors were being pushed open and someone rushed inside, stilling just a few steps into the hall.

"My King,” the messenger panted and almost forgot kneel down, sweat gleaming on his forehead as he tried to catch his breath. “I was sent by the people of Beongae, they are residing just outside the city walls at the moment. But something awful has happened! It’s king Jongdae – he was injured!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? If you enjoyed it or if you have constructive feedback, please leave me a comment or Kudos, I'm always happy to read what you guys have to say! [Here's](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/181975947432/exo-fanfiction-superpower-historical) a moodboard for Junmyeon in this!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally intended to post this yesterday but then there was a change of plans and I went clubbing but here you go, Chapter 5! I hope you'll like it, thank you for reading!

"He’s injured?"

Murmurs erupted the moment the messenger had stopped talking and Sehun was feverishly thinking of what to do. "Send patrols to where they have settled and take our best doctors with you. They must leave instantly." He ordered.

The messenger scrambled to get up on his feet but before he could leave, Junmyeon spoke up, her voice cutting through the low voices of everyone speculating what had happened to the King of Beongae. "King Sehun, may I send one of my people with your soldiers?" The Queen asked, standing up to grab his attention. "We have a healer with us." It was risky to reveal such confidential information, but there was no use in hiding it when the King of Beongae was in danger. Healers were rare and to have one on your side was even rarer. There were people that would love to take her healer away from her.

Taken aback by that information, Sehun didn’t need to think before agreeing. "Yes of course! That is magnificent. They should hurry since we do not know how serious his injury is.”

Looking to the woman to her left, she lowered her voice a little. "Would you do this, Yixing? He might be in a condition where your help is important. You don't have to use your power if it's not necessary, though." Junmyeon said softly.

"Yes of course, Jun." The young woman smiled and stood up, brushing a strand of long, black hair behind her ear. "I'll help wherever I can."

Feeling thankful, the Queen of Mul squeezed Yixing’s hands before watching her leave with the messenger that had finally managed to catch his breath. To Junmyeon’s right, Yifan looked a little worried. Whenever his sister Yixing left to such a task without him, he couldn’t help but worry for her well-being. “Do you think we can at least save her some of the food? She has not eaten enough lately due to the journey.” He asked Junmyeon quietly.

"Of course, I think that can be arranged." She agreed and turned around to look at Sehun who was sitting almost next to her, only Minseok and her wife between them. "Could we save some food for her?"

Sehun nodded immediately. "We will prepare some fresh food once they arrive, I'm sure the King of Beongae will be hungry too.” He was still standing, letting his eyes trail over the long table. It seemed like everyone had calmed down a little. There was no use in speculating about the seriousness of Jongdae’s injury now and Sehun decided that they should focus on their meal for now. “Let’s pray for the King of Jongdae and eat, now that a healer is accompanying my men I am certain that he will arrive without any harm."

Everyone raised their glasses and Sehun took the first sip of wine before sitting down, servants pouring into the room to place all kinds of delicacies on the tables. Now it was time to converse with the royals and he was already thinking about what to talk about. With only Chanyeol it had been a lot easier, he thought bitterly, especially since it was quite evident that the Queen of Eoleum wasn't as talkative and happy about this meeting as Chanyeol had been. Chanyeol was across the table from Sehun so he could talk to Minseok easily. Even though he disliked the cold feeling that the woman emanated, he was trying to soothe the rivalry between ice and fire over dinner.

"It is nice that you have brought your beautiful wife, it must have been a long trip from the South." Trying to strike up a conversation, Chanyeol sent Minseok a careful smile.

"It was indeed. I'm glad we didn't have to cross through your country on the way, that would have been too hot." The Queen responded pointedly, currently busy with putting some kind of salad onto her plate.

"I see...” Chanyeol wasn’t giving up just yet. “And yes, we do have quite high temperatures, even some of our people can't cope well." He tried to ignore the jab. "It's nice to be able to meet up with all of you even with our differences. It certainly makes things more interesting."

Looking up from her plate, Minseok was impressed with his smooth way of not reacting to her criticism. "The pleasure is ours." Junmyeon said happily.

When the other Queen joined the conversation, Chanyeol was quite relieved that Junmyeon wasn't putting up as much resistance as Minseok. "I'm really glad we're all meeting here, it fills me with pride." Sehun chimed in. After that, they fell into an easy conversation were none of them dared to breach controversial topics just yet to keep the mood light.

At the same time, a group of thirteen were hurrying down a path on horses, their destination leading them out of the city and westwards. Yixing was following the twelve soldiers, wondering how serious the injury was going to be. "Does anyone know what exactly happened?" She asked when she had caught up with the soldiers so she didn’t have to yell.

"From what I’ve heard, his horse apparently was frightened by a wolf attack and bucked, throwing him off in the process. He hit his shoulder on a stone." The soldier explained to her.

"Ah... At least it doesn’t appear to be life threatening then." The thought was relieving but at the same time she knew shoulder injuries could hurt a lot and might be more problematic than they suggested at first glance.

After about 10 minutes, they were beginning to slow down and Yixing could spot the figures of horses and people not too far away. Halfway to them, two soldiers of Beongae approached them and escorted them the last few meters to their camp.

It was easy to spot the King from where they had stopped and were climbing off their horses. A young man was lying on a comfortable looking mattress, constantly telling the people kneeling next to him to stop worrying.

"Let's just continue the last part of the journey, they must all be waiting for us." Jongdae was saying when he spotted the arrivals. Just moments ago, he’d been trying to sit up but the moment he moved his shoulder just the slightest bit, he couldn't really hide the pain anymore. Yet, he attempted to brush it off with a forced smile when a young woman followed by a general and soldiers approached him. Shifting around to find a more comfortable position, he realized he couldn’t move his arm at all.

"King Jongdae of Beongae, we have arrived with a healer of the Kingdom of Mul as well as soldiers of Balam. Please let her take care of you." The general had spoken up having knelt down in front of him, Yixing and the soldiers quickly following suit. When Jongdae immediately allowed them to get back up again, Yixing decided to introduce herself. "King Jongdae of Beongae, my name is Yixing. I accompanied the soldiers of Balam but I am a healer sent from the Queen of Mul. In order to help you, I have to ask you to let me touch you. Please excuse me." She bowed again. When she looked up again, she was surprised to see the King smirking.

"Ah, did the Queen of Mul send me an angel of ethereal beauty to heal me?" Even in this state, Kim Jongdae was still a flirt. “Of course you are allowed, Yixing of Mul.”

Not wasting any time, Yixing kneeled down next to him, not quite able to withhold a smile that revealed a dimple. "An angel? Not quite, King Jongdae. But I'm a healer." She retorted and reached out to put her hands on his arm. "Can you move your arm?"

"Healing seems like an angelic trait to me." He declared with a smile but then groaned when Yixing moved his arm just the slightest bit. "No, I can't move it. Can you help me, Yixing from Mul?" His voice sounded a lot less flirty now and for the first time, a tiny bit of fear was laced in his words.

"You know, I originally stem from the Bihaeng, the kingdom up in the skies.” She began, having decided that it was time to distract the King while she treated him. “Maybe you weren't so wrong about me being an angel." Feeling her power run through the tips of her fingers, Yixing trailed her fingers of his soft skin.

"Hm... I knew it." Jongdae even chuckled but then squeezed his eyes shut when she touched exactly where it hurt. "Fuck-"

"You fell quite badly, your highness." Yixing concluded, feeling bad when she had to press her fingers into his skin a little more to really feel where the injury was. In order to heal it, she had to be able to imagine the injury and where exactly it was located.

"I- wasn't planning on falling off my horse if that’s what you’re trying to say.” He pressed through his teeth, although there was no bite to his words. "I'm more into other things beside pain, you know?" Again, he wanted to joke but in reality it was an attempt to avert her attention from the way he was blinking away tears.

Around them, the voices of the people of Beongae quietened down when she moved a little closer. “I will heal you now. It will probably feel different to anything you've ever experienced before, so just open your mind to it and do not move your arm away, even when you begin to feel like you are able to move it again."

"Yes, thank you.” He stared up at her, eyes still wet with the hint of unshed tears. “Will it... Heal everything? I have never encountered a healer before. I have to be capable..." The look he sent her was almost pleading.

"You will never encounter problems related to this injury anymore if that’s what you’re asking." Yixing soothed him. Now that she knew what to do, it was inevitable that it would take quite a bit of strength from her. Still, there was no way she wasn’t going to push through with this.

Placing her hands on his arm gently, Yixing closed her eyes. Like this, it was easier to channel the magic inside her and direct it to where it was needed most.

When the power started flowing from within Yixing into his arm through her fingertips, Jongdae exhaled. It was a weird but at the same time a comfortable feeling of heat that was pooling in his shoulder and slowly began to seep through his veins all the way down to his fingertips. When he tensed beneath her, Yixing’s brows furrowed.

"Relax please, it won't take much longer." She directed. Now that there was magic flowing through her fingers, it didn't take long for her to find the area of the injury and a moment later the muscles and tendons were melding themselves together again, her hands hot on his skin.

"You have a few old injuries in your legs and hip. I will heal them too."

Feeling spooked by Yixing knowing about his past injuries, Jongdae turned his face towards her. "How... Do you know that?" He wondered. His shoulder was throbbing in an almost pleasant way.

"I can feel it." She said, her hands going from his shoulder to his hip while she didn’t look away from her hands, brows furrowed in concentration. "I'll be done in just a second." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Judging by the way she had moved on to his hip, Jongdae guessed that she was done with healing his shoulder already. It astonished him how quickly she was working. He let out a noise of surprise when he carefully moved his shoulder. It didn't hurt at all. "You... You're a goddess." He breathed.

Yixing blushed a little but kept concentrating on healing the old injuries she’d sensed that were most likely giving him pain occasionally as well. It was quite unsettling how his young body was already damaged in many places. It became clear to her that there was no way she could heal all of his injuries all at once. "Alright. It should be fine now." She announced, not taking away her hand just yet.

When he knew he was allowed to move again, Jongdae sat up and stretched. Suddenly a large lightning bolt struck above them in the sky as he laughed when he began to understand that he could move without any inhibitions. "Truly amazing! I'm forever in your debt, Yixing from Mul. How can I repay you?" He took her hands, eyes glowing in wonder as he looked at her.

"Don't hurt yourself again too quickly." She said, looking up at the sky. "And maybe don't electrocute me please." She added while she met his eyes again, a playful smirk on her lips.

"I could never hurt you, my fair lady." Jongdae insisted instantly. "I will give you anything you ask for, I mean it." He added after a moment and winked.

For a moment, she wondered if the King really meant to flirt with her or if it just came naturally. "I'll think about it, your highness.”

"Very well. And now, we shouldn’t let the other’s wait for us anymore." Standing up, Jongdae still couldn’t believe the way he moved with ease. "I feel like a new man. It is truly astonishing!"

"You're strong. You must have been in pain from your hip a lot and yet you didn’t even mention that injury to me." Yixing had straightened up too and brushed her fingers through her wild hair that had become ruffled by the ride.

"There is no use in dwelling on old injuries. I have many duties to fulfil.”  He hadn't liked to admit that he was occasionally still in pain because of the injuries, it had made him feel like he was lacking, which certainly hadn’t been the image he’d wanted to portray as a King. "I am truly grateful that you tended to my old hip injury as well."

Yixing waved it off.  "You need to be nicer to your body, King Jongdae. I'd like to look over it again on another day. But today, I healed enough." Only when she had got up as well, she realized how drained she felt. While standing up, she had felt like blacking out for a minute but the feeling had subsided as quickly as it had come.

"Of course. You can take a look at my body whenever you like." Jongdae instantly took the opportunity to flirt but then quickly became serious again. "I mean it though. I'm eternally grateful. And I will be more careful from now on, however, a few things cannot be avoided. But I’ll definitely try to decrease my number of accidents" He sent her a genuine smile.

Yixing was pleased with that. "Of course, King Jongdae.  I'm glad I could be of help."

Yixing hadn’t noticed it at first, but the people around them were evidently in awe of her too. Her focus lay on the King who had somehow got to her with his flirting and expressions of gratefulness.

Now that he could move freely again, Jongdae jumped on his horse with renewed vigour once they had packed up. With a smile he pointed forward in the direction of the city. "Let's head to Mipung."

Settling in line with the soldiers of Balam again, Yixing hadn’t expected the King to slow down his horse so much that he was suddenly riding next to her.

"Tell me more about yourself, Yixing." He sent her a wide smile. "I'm amazed by your talent."

"There isn't much to tell." Was the first thing that came to Yixing’s mind but she quickly elaborated. "I mean, I came to Mul with my brother Yifan. Originally, we’re both from Bihaeng." Being back on the horse made her even more aware of how worn out she felt after healing him. What most people did not know about healers was that when they were treating a person, they were giving them great portions of their own energy in order to heal them.

Jongdae hummed. "I've never been to Bihaeng but I heard it is beautiful. Now I'm even more convinced that you’re an angel, especially considering that you come from that kingdom." He chuckled but then noticed the way she seemed to have problems holding herself up on the horse. "Are you alright? You seem tired, my fair lady."

"I have to admit that I am quite tired indeed. We have not got to rest yet and our journey was long." Yixing didn’t want to tell him that healing had worn her out, too. "And yes. Bihaeng is a beautiful country but the people are strong-willed and often don't like outsiders. I hated that mindset. That’s why I am actually surprised that they are willing to attend the negotiations.”

"Yes, this is certainly a factor that will influence the negotiations but I’m still looking forward to it. And I am sorry that you had to come to my rescue but I can't say that I regret it that dearly, considering that it graced me with the privilege of meeting you."

Yixing blinked, feeling herself blush. "King Jongdae. You're flattering me too much." She said, looking down at her hands. He wasn't the first man that had flirted with her so openly, but he was certainly the first King.

"I'm only stating the truth." Jongdae replied. They weren't far from the palace anymore.

"Thank you, your highness. I feel honoured." Flirting with a King didn’t sound unproblematic, but Yixing had always liked to take risks. So she sent him a flirty smile and made her horse go faster, making the King have to catch up.

Jongdae looked at her in surprise but then grinned and sped up as well to catch up. "You're unusual, Yixing. It’s interesting."

"Am I?" She quipped and slowed down again now that they had reached the outskirts of Mipung.

The moment they reached the palace, Yixing was eager to get off her horse, closing her eyes for a second when she felt the dizziness again that she’d experienced earlier already.

Jongdae had noticed, shooting her worried glances. "Are you feeling very tired? I have the feeling that healing me wore you out. Before you healed me, you looked and acted a lot more… how should I phrase it… energetic?"

Realizing that there was no sense in lying, Yixing sighed. "Your observations are correct. Healing takes away energy from the healer in order to heal the injury. But it's my job, King Jongdae. It's not too bad anyway, your injury wasn't that severe. Someone that's injured worse would have made me a lot more tired." She explained to him as they headed inside.

With a sigh, Jongdae nodded. " I thought that it would be something along those lines… Even though I’m glad to hear that you do not mind it, it still makes me feel even more indebted to you. How can I change that?"

"I could... think of something that I'd like from you. How would that make you feel?" She suggested.

"Yes, I'd like that." Jongdae agreed and sent her a cat-like smile, the corners of his lips curling up prettily. “There are basically no limitations on what you can ask of me.”

"You're really flirty, King Jongdae. Shall we go inside to eat now?" Yixing couldn’t help but laugh softly.

"I'm only flirty around stunning women." He replied but then nodded. "Now, I shall act like a King."

They had reached the top of the stairs and were now standing in front of the huge doors that she’d rushed through earlier. Yixing let him and his close advisors head inside before she joined Junmyeon at the table again.

In the meantime, Sehun had gotten up from the table to greet Jongdae and his people. "Hello, King Jongdae from Beongae." Sehun finished the rest of the official greeting before he asked him how he was feeling. "I heard the message of your unwell being, I hope the healer of Mul could help you in the time of hardship?"

Yixing, who had settled in her seat at the side of Junmyeon, smiled. It didn’t really surprise her when Jongdae called her out. "Yixing of Mul was of incredible help as she was capable of completely healing my injury. I'm grateful to her and also to her Queen that sent her to me." He turned around to bow to Yixing and Junmyeon to express his thanks.

"We are all grateful that Yixing of Mul managed to reach you when you sought help." Sehun agreed and sent Yixing a quick smile as well.

"I feel like a new man after Yixing healed me. I could go for a party." Jongdae said with a laugh and finally took his spot at the table, his people settling down as well.

"Ah, I'm glad I'm here now." Jongdae said, loading food onto his plate. “Even though it was a tiresome journey, I have a feeling that this meeting will go down in history.”

The next day, the King of Him arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you excited for the King of Him? What did you think of the chapter? Please let me know in the comments what you liked and disliked so far, I love to read your feedback, it always makes my day when I get a new comment! Also, please leave Kudos or recommend the fic if you enjoyed it! You can find a moodboard for Minseok [here](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/182348460507)


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, chapter 6! Special thanks to my beta reader Alex!

"Your Highness, do you need help with that?"

The King of Him had arrived in Mipung in the afternoon.

After being welcomed by the other rulers, they had dinner together much like the previous days. Since they had only arrived a few hours prior to the feast, the King of Him excused himself considerably early to head back to the quarters that had been prepared for him. Their journey to Balam had been delayed due to internal matters in the Kingdom of Him and they had tried to make up lost time by hurrying even more. Now, he finally had some time to relax though.

Kyungsoo looked up when he heard Jongin. The young man was standing in front of him and like the many times before, Kyungsoo was bothered that he actually had to look up to meet Jongin’s eyes.

"Yes. Why don't you take it off for me?” Kyungsoo sent Jongin a challenging look, eyes boring into his.

Without hesitation, Jongin just nodded and stepped closer. "Of course, your Highness." He replied, he began to untie the knots and slid the first layer of fabric off Kyungsoo’s shoulders.

For a while, Kyungsoo let Jongin work in silence as he watched him peel off layer after layer. "Why don't you get down on your knees?" He suddenly asked, knowing that Jongin was going to do whatever he asked of him anyway.

Letting out a breath, Jongin took off the last layer that still clung to his frame before he  gracefully sunk to his knees.Jongin looked up once his knees were touching the ground. By now he knew what Kyungsoo liked and he would be lying if he said he didn’t love it as well.

Above him, Kyungsoo was watching every single movement Jongin made. "I think the meeting with the others went well. But then again, I’ve had quite a few stressful days. I need some relief.” There was no doubt in what he was referring to as he reached down, his fingers sliding into Jongin’s black hair. Even though the gesture appeared to be dominating the other, the touch was almost gentle like a lover’s.

"Of course. I will help you relax, you know I do it well." Jongin’s voice was barely above a whisper as he subconsciously leant into the touch, his fingers expertly undoing Kyungsoo’s pants. He wetted his lips as he pulled them down and scooted closer to the other, the grip on his hair tightening as he began to help Kyungsoo relax in the best way he could.

When they were lying on his bed together about half an hour later, Kyungsoo didn't really feel like helping Jongin come. He felt satisfied and sleepy and even though he sometimes helped the other out after he’d done him a favour, he knew that today wasn't one of those days. "You can leave now... I'm sure you have other duties." He didn’t even spare him a glance, instead reaching out to pull up the blanket to cover himself.

Knowing he should have expected it, Jongin still couldn’t deny the way it stung. Still, he obediently got up, feeling quite awkward and uncomfortable. “Of course, your Highness." He mumbled as he slid off the bed, still feeling like he was going to burn up. Trying to hide his arousal from the King, he turned around as he slid his pants on, knowing that it was in vain. Kyungsoo knew exactly how much he was getting off on this, even if it only meant he was servicing the King and did not get anything back in return. Jongin knew his place, and even though he sometimes wished it was different, he always kept coming back for more.

Watching Jongin dress, Kyungsoo realized that he probably shouldn’t sleep naked in case he was needed while he was still in bed. It would certainly be uncomfortable if he was naked when Sehun’s servants or the King himself were to enter his chambers and he first had to get dressed. “Wait. Before you leave, help me dress again." He demanded.

"Should I wash you, too?" Jongin asked, torn between really wanting to have his hands on him again and having time to take care himself instead.

"No, you're not in a state to do that.” Kyungsoo sent a pointed glance towards Jongin’s crotch which made the younger man’s face heat up in embarrassment. “I don't want to keep you too long, just help me close the buttons." Kyungsoo continued, his voice a little more gentle again.

"As you wish." Jongin replied and turned around to retrieve fresh clothing from the chests that had still not been emptied. They were standing in the middle of the room but none of the servants had had time to sort through them just yet.

"Thank you." Kyungsoo had slipped out of bed, completely naked as he waited for Jongin to finish putting an outfit for bed together. When the other was done with helping him dress five minutes later and was about to leave, Kyungsoo reached out and grabbed him by his wrist. "You know you don't have to do this, don’t you?" He asked Jongin seriously. "I'm not forcing you. It’s you who keeps coming back."

"I...  I know you're not forcing me." Jongin looked at him, staring at where Kyungsoo was grasping his wrist.

"It's securing your position in the army. But that's it." Kyungsoo insisted, not letting go just yet. "You could be something different if you just decided you wanted a different position. Why are you so keen on being a soldier?"

"I... don't exactly know what you're referring to, your Highness." Jongin met his eyes again for a moment. It hurt quite a bit that all Kyungsoo saw in this was Jongin trying to secure his position.

Suddenly, letting go of him, Kyungsoo took a step back. "I don't understand why you keep doing this. I mean, of course I like it, but you know your place isn't really in the army. You're too gentle and nice, Jongin. You’re not a soldier at heart."

"I... Enjoy helping you out” Jongin was unsure how to phrase it. “It isn't really a task." He added quietly.

"So you're not just doing this because you want me to keep you in your position as a soldier?" Kyungsoo honestly hadn’t expected that.

For a moment, Jongin hesitated, his thoughts racing as he searched for the right words.

 

_ Ever since Jongin could remember, it had been ingrained in his mind that he had to serve in the army. In the land of Him, the land of strength of both the body and the soul, there was no space for weak people. In a family of soldiers, Jongin struggled to find the same passion for serving in the army. Whenever his father told him of the exercises and drills and painted him a colourful picture of mental and physical exertion, Jongin didn’t enjoy it the way the other boys and girls his age did. Unlike the kids that grew up in the same street as Jongin, he didn’t pretend to be a strong soldier when they played games, he didn’t dream of carrying a sword like his same-age friends that picked up sticks like they were weapons. Jongin didn’t like to hurt others, and he sometimes wondered why that was something that was considered a weakness. When he asked his mother about it (he hadn’t dared to ask his father about the matter), she had just sent him a pitiful look and had patted his head softly, telling him not to think too much about it. In the end, Jongin thought, she probably had been right in telling him that, because as a man in the kingdom of Him, his path had mostly been decided already, at the path of a man from a family like his. Their status, their history and his gender had his future laid out for him already: the army. The gift that he had been born with had just been the last piece that had completed the picture his parents had in mind for him.  _ Teleportation _ , a gift that had been passed down in his family for ages and that had served the army great services in prior conflicts and missions. With this ability, his spot in the army was secured. _

_ When Jongin enlisted for the three years of mandatory military service, his family celebrated the day he first had to leave the safe confines of his room. What they did not know was the how little Jongin was actually in control of his power. That combined with his restraint when fighting, because he did not want to injure his friends and fellow soldiers, Jongin realized that a big name did not mean much in an organization that relied on actions and not bloodline. So after finishing the three years of the mandatory service, most people had forgotten his background, had forgotten that he was Kim Jongin, the son of a family of skilled fighters. _

_ Jongin hadn’t forgotten though, and whenever he was allowed to go back home, he smiled and told his family that everything was okay, and his heart ached when he saw his father smile proudly at the lies he told of stories that never happened during training. When he saw the pride in his parents’ face, he knew he couldn’t leave the army, even if he was a poor excuse of a soldier. _

_ That was around the time he first personally met the King of Him. _

 

"Well, I do want the position in the army. My parents are really proud.” Jongin paused, a clear image of disappointment etched on his father’s face. He would disown him if he ever got kicked out of the army, or worse, Jongin couldn’t help but wonder if he would abandon him, “But I enjoy doing this with you, too." He confessed. "I'm sorry your Highness, this is probably inappropriate."

"Well, ultimately, it is your choice." Kyungsoo hummed. "I mean, I'm allowing you close because I enjoy the intimacy. I don't care about your position in the army though, you don't really make a good soldier and I think you know that." He raised a brow and Jongin couldn’t help but fell slightly offended even though he knew that technically Kyungsoo was right. Not having finished yet, Kyungsoo continued talking. "But you're smart and loyal, you could have a position that’s better suited for you. It’s an offer."

"I... I'll consider it, your Highness." Jongin mumbled and looked away. "And.. I know I'm not a good soldier, although it is regretful. I am sorry for lacking."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "I'm only worried that if it comes to a battle you will not stand a chance. The regretful part would be losing you." He said and turned away, suddenly feeling like he’d overstepped the boundaries. He usually wasn’t that sentimental and it confused him and he also felt quite embarrassed.

Jongin, in contrast, was overwhelmed for a whole different reason. "I- thank you, your Highness. I- I appreciate your concern. I'll think about your words.” In his head, Kyungsoo’s word kept repeating themselves.  _ The regretful part would be losing you. _

"You are dismissed." Was the only thing Kyungsoo managed to say, not even turning around. He still wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation and the way it had made him feel. One on hand, he felt like he should just end their little affair and let the boy do whatever he wanted, even if it meant he'd die in the first battle he'd encounter. On the other hand, there was the small part of him that had just come through that didn’t really want Jongin to stop what he was doing.

When the door fell shut behind Jongin, Kyungsoo let out a breath and slid back under the expensive sheets. They still faintly smelled like Jongin and Kyungsoo absentmindedly wondered when he’d learned the smell of the other so well.

  
  


In another part of the castle, Chanyeol couldn’t sleep. He’d left the dinner not much later than Kyungsoo with the excuse of a headache. Even though he had deemed the dinner a success, his mood was sour. While he tried to assist Sehun who had seemed overwhelmed with the task of keeping up a conversation with six royals, Chanyeol had jumped in and had lead most of the conversation to support his friend. Due to that, he hadn’t been able to talk to Baekhyun at all, even brushing him off when he’d tried to ask him something. He knew he had acted a little rude but he definitely hadn’t expected the small man to get drunk in retaliation. Only when it had been too late, Chanyeol had realized how fucking smashed Baekhyun already was and had excused the two of them, not daring to leave Baekhyun with the others while he was drunk off his ass. Once they’d reached the room, he’d suggested his friend tried to sleep it off and Baekhyun had stomped off to his room angrily, not sparing Chanyeol a glance.

Now, the older man was knocking on Chanyeol's door, waiting for him to call him inside. He’d heard the maids chattering, the King was supposed to take a bath but so far nobody had called for him. It bugged him, because usually he was the one who helped the King bath.

"Come in." Chanyeol said, wondering who it would be. When the door was pushed open, he was startled at first. Having expected the other to be fast asleep already, he wasn’t sure what to do. "Baekhyun?"

"Aren't you gonna take your fucking bath?" Baekhyun asked, slurring his words just the slightest bit.

"I wasn't planning on it. Or I will do it alone a little later. I thought you were asleep?" Chanyeol said and got up from where he had been seated at the table next to a large window.

"Well, guess what, I can't sleep." Baekhyun huffed, taking quick steps forward. He reached for the other and began to push Chanyeol into the direction of his private bathroom.

"Baek... You're drunk and angry. I don't really want you to bathe me." He protested but let the other push him into the room. If he resisted, it would only upset Baekhyun even more and there was a chance of him totally flipping out. In addition to that, Baekhyun was stronger than he looked and he didn’t want either of them to get hurt so it was easier to comply for now.

_ Chanyeol had his back turned to Baekhyun, the older man gently wiping his skin with a wet washcloth. The young King had just returned from practicing his fighting skills and there was a gash on his shoulder where the wooden sword of his teacher had struck him. Baekhyun was cleaning the wound and when he reached around to grab the bandage, his face was so close to Chanyeol’s neck that his breath was hitting the skin, and goose bumps were breaking out. He heard Chanyeol let out a breath and for a moment he moved closer, his lips almost touching the sensitive skin of his neck. When he realized what he was doing he pulled back as if a bee had stung him and he quickly wiped over the patch of skin with the washcloth as if to erase any traces of what he had just been about to do. _

"Well, you don't do what I want either so guess it's just fair." Baekhyun replied and started to try and untie the fabric that was holding up Chanyeol’s robe but his movements were too uncoordinated to get him anywhere. Chanyeol absentmindedly thanked the gods that no servant had witnessed the other’s behaviour.

 

_ Baekhyun knew he shouldn’t be watching, but it was hard to move away. His legs felt as if they were rooted to the spot and Baekhyun was frozen behind the door that was ajar just the slightest bit, just enough for him to look through the thin gap into the room that was dimly lit by the full moon and the two candles Chanyeol hadn’t blown out yet. A few seconds ago, he’d been about to push the door open when he had heard a noise that had made him stop in his tracks, heart hammering in his chest as he halted and listened again. Sure enough, he heard the quiet moan again just moments later and a wave of heat crashed into Baekhyun, his face heating up. While his body was already reacting, his brain was still trying to understand what he was witnessing. When he finally took notice of the slick, rhythmic sounds, he had to bite his lips to suppress a moan of his own. He wasn’t exactly proud when he stepped closer, his eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. Now he could make out movement and his hand wandered lower to where he was feeling a strong pull in his guts, and Baekhyun couldn’t look away. _

 

"What do you want me to do then?" Chanyeol asked quietly as he stayed still, Baekhyun still pulling on the strings of fabric to loosen the tie.

 

_ They were lying on Chanyeol’s bed, Chanyeol’s fingers drawing patterns on the nape of Baekhyun’s neck. It was the middle of the night and they had returned from a feast in celebration of the new year. There had been too much food and too much booze and they both had been tipsy when they’d undressed, slipping into Chanyeol’s bed. Neither of them had questioned it when Baekhyun had slid under the covers with Chanyeol, because it wasn’t the first time it had happened. Neither of them questioned it when Chanyeol pulled him closer, wrapping his arm around Baekhyun’s waist. Neither of them questioned it when Baekhyun turned around, their faces suddenly so close that it made their heart rates pick up so much that they wondered if the other would be able to hear it. But neither of them leaned in to close the distance and when the moment had passed, they both turned around with the taste of regret on the tip of their tongues, mixed with unspoken confessions. _

 

"I want you to fucking kiss me, okay Chanyeol?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I really want to thank you for reading this, it means a lot to me! <3 You can find a moodboard for Chanyeol here ( [tumblr](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/post/182530201167/sehun-junmyeon-minseok-chanyeol-tao) [twitter](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1092128671907889152?s=09) ). If you liked this, please leave Kudos or a comment, I'd really appreciate that. I'm also open for criticism. You can also hit me up on [tumblr](http://exo-sehunnie.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper), I'm always up for a chat!!


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry that it's been a while but my uni is going wild with exam season rn and it's a little stressful. Although I have the chapters up to number 12 already written, I always try to have a few in stock for times like these where I can't write much. But without further ado, here comes chapter 7!

Baekhyun’s eyes were boring into Chanyeol’s chest, unable to meet the King's eyes. His fingers were shaking where he was holding on to the silk of Chanyeol’s robe. “But I know you won't ever do that so I'm going kind of crazy and I have a strong tendency to become an alcoholic when you're around."

Upon hearing Baekhyun’s words, Chanyeol could feel his hands heat up in frustration and anger. "You're not even trying to understand why it's so hard for me, are you?" He asked, flames bursting out around his fists, the heat burning his skin.

Shocked, Baekhyun stepped away, scared by the flames so close to him. "Chanyeol- I... Why don't you admit it to yourself though?" Baekhyun asked quietly, the tone in his voice changing. There was none of the anger left anymore and that was what actually hit Chanyeol the most.

"I already have. I know how much I want you, I feel it every single fucking time I look at you. Okay?" He breathed, his chest heaving. "But I don't know if it's the right thing to allow myself."

Baekhyun huffed in annoyance, once again feeling the rage boil inside himself. "Why not? What can be so bad about it if we both want it that much? The Queen of Eoleum is married to a woman too and it's not a big fucking deal." His voice almost cracked and he took a deep breath to calm himself so he would not hyperventilate. Chanyeol was radiating an intense heat by now and Baekhyun subconsciously took a step back.

Only now, Baekhyun realized that there was a thin sheen of flames covering the skin of Chanyeol’s hands and they were slowly moving up his arms, already lapping on the fabric of his clothing. He had only ever witnessed this happening once and it was when Chanyeol had been told that Yoora had died. Back then, his whole body had been engulfed by the flames as he’d wept, his tears vaporizing as they trickled down his cheeks. While the king himself had not been burned by the flames, Baekhyun hadn’t been able to touch him without getting injured and he wasn’t going to risk it now either even though he wanted to do nothing more than to pull him into his arms.

"My parents expect grandchildren, heirs to the throne. What am I supposed to do when the only person I've ever wanted is a man?" Chanyeol asked with a raspy voice, his eyes meeting Baekhyun’s for a moment before looking away in shame, folding his arms around his chest. It only made the smell of singed silk worse. By now, the flames had reached his neck.

Still not daring to touch him, Baekhyun took a step closer again. He had to do something to calm him down before he set fire to the room. Even though he was able to resist the heat of his own light, Baekhyun certainly wasn't immune to Chanyeol's flames. "You could have a child with a concubine." He argued as he was desperately trying to come up with things that wouldn’t upset Chanyeol even more but everything that popped up in his mind seemed to have high chances of going wrong anyway.

Chanyeol sighed deeply and then looked up at him, his eyes reflecting the flames around him. "If I'm with you I don't want anyone else. It's… the thought of lying with someone else feels wrong, it makes me feel off. Like it's just not right, you know? I can't explain it.” He shook his head. It wasn't like he hadn't considered the option before but until now, but Chanyeol had never allowed himself to really think beyond that. If he wanted to give them a chance, he knew there weren't going to be many options. Since he was a king, he had a responsibility. He needed to pass on the bloodline that carried the gift of the magic of fire. His people were expecting him to give them a heir.

“I… will consider it.” Chanyeol said eventually. The flames were still burning on his skin but they were dying down. “This is eating us up from the inside. If we drag this out any longer, it will consume us. I think now I'm still able to make things better again, so I will… consider that option. Either way, I want to be with you.”

Baekhyun was stunned into silence for a moment. 

"I... would that be okay for you?” He honestly hadn't expected him to suddenly agree to it. He tried to swallow down the lump in his throat that was suddenly making it hard to talk. “I'm sorry Chanyeol, I didn't mean to get drunk and lose it like that and forcing you into a situation like this… I just couldn't- " he broke off and suddenly there were tears spilling from his eyes.

Almost going in for a hug, Chanyeol realized that his arms and hands were still covered by a thin layer of flames, the emotions bubbling up inside of him all over again when he saw Baekhyun cry. He just couldn't stand it. "You're still drunk, it's okay. I'm sorry, we can… we can make it work." He was surprised when he sounded more convinced then he actually was. 

"I know, I'm so sorry.. I never should have- but it just fucking hurts."

"I know.” He mumbled, looking at the man in front of him who looked even smaller than usual, shoulders pulled tight and face buried in his hands. It was such a contrast to the Baekhyun he usually saw and it was a lot harder to deal with. Without really thinking about it, Chanyeol stepped into the bathtub that had been filled with water earlier. Usually they'd heat it up first, but there was no need for that as the water began to heat up the moment it came into contact with his searing skin. Steam began to rise while Chanyeol closed his eyes, the wet fabric sticking to him uncomfortably.

"What- are you doing?" Baekhyun asked, the confusion evident in his voice. He'd been watching quietly as Chanyeol had jumped into the tub, unable to react in time. Tears were still rolling down his cheeks but he tried to blink them away as he sniffed loudly.

"I need to cool down." Chanyeol explained and stared up at Baekhyun from where he was sitting in the tub, arms wrapped around his legs. The flames had almost died down but there was still steam rising.

"Cooling down.. yes, right." Baekhyun nodded, a tiny chuckle escaping him. Rubbing his eyes, he shook his head."I... Didn't mean to cry..  I'm sorry. This has just been building up inside of me for a while and I guess a dam just broke.”

"Don't apologise." Chanyeol immediately intervened. "I understand and it's your right to be upset. The way we left things unspoken. It was awful for the both of us. But I guess you always were a little more offensive but I just didn't dare to pick you up on it even though I wanted to. I just want you to know that I feel the same way about you.” He swallowed.  “I'm hurting just the same, only that it is my fault." When his voice cracked he quickly shut up.

There wasn't steam rising anymore and Baekhyun finally dared to move closer, sitting down next to the tub. The flames on Chanyeol's skin had completely vanished so he gently reached out for Chanyeol's hand. He could feel it tremble and Baekhyun moved his thumb soothingly over the now almost clammy skin.

“You know we're basically together already, right?” Chanyeol was staring at their joined fingers, eyes still glistening suspiciously. “Sehun has been asking me about it since forever.”

Judging by his expression, Baekhyun didn't agree. "Well, we also basically weren't because I couldn't kiss you or touch you the way I wanted." He pointed out, the grip on Chanyeol's hand tightening a little as if he was about to lose the privilege to hold it again any moment.

Squeezing back reassuringly, Chanyeol's eyes were trained on the water. “I don't want to make my parents unhappy. But what is it worth when it hurts you and me hurt so much we can't even look at each other anymore? I can't do it any longer, and I know that they love me. I know that they want me to be happy too. Maybe they can help us find a solution?” His eyes were now boring into Baekhyun's and he looked like he was desperately waiting for him to agree and tell him that  everything was going to be fine.

"We will figure something out.” Baekhyun met his gaze and realized that he wasn't just saying that because it was what Chanyeol wanted to hear. He really believed that they were going to find a solution. In the end, they didn't have much of a choice anyway if they wanted to make it work.

Now that he was finally able to focus again, Baekhyun realized that something was off. “You’re shivering, Yeol.” He mumbled, worry instantly clouding his features. “You got too cold." The touch of Chanyeol's hands felt even colder now. Instantly, his hand warmed up and he began to glow, spreading a soft light in the candlelit bathroom.

"I should come out of the water." Chanyeol murmured and pushed himself up. His attempt at looking graceful as he climbed out of the tub was for naught as he stumbled. When he realized what had happened, he was already lying on his back on the floor, a worried Baekhyun looking down at him. But when Chanyeol couldn't help but laugh, the smaller man chimed in as well and it felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Suddenly, there was an entirely different weight on his chest though when Baekhyun flung himself on top of him, not caring about the cold and wet clothes. The “ooof” sound Chanyeol let out only made Baekhyun laugh harder and soon, they were both gasping for air. The situation in itself wasn't even that funny, but they finally felt like they could enjoy each other's presence again and that was enough for them to feel carefree for a moment. 

In the heat of the moment, Chanyeol wrapped his arms around Baekhyun, just enjoying the way it felt to have him so close and knowing he wouldn't have to let go to pretend nothing had happened. Now, he could finally hold him the way he'd wanted to for so long.

“How did we end up here?" There was still a faint hint of breathlessness in Baekhyun's voice. They had calmed down from the hysterical laughing fit and his head was resting on Chanyeol's chest. He could hear the steady thrum of his heartbeat and it was incredibly soothing.

"I burned up, then I cooled down and then slipped." Chanyeol summarized, his eyes blinking open. They were still burning a little.

"You're a dumbass, do you know that?" Baekhyun had lifted himself up a little so he could take a proper look at Chanyeol's face. For a moment, he just watched him before he leant down to close the distance between them, his lips softly pressing onto Chanyeol's.

The other man froze for a second, but then his lips melted against Baekhyun's and his fingers found their way into the strands of unruly black hair.

Baekhyun sighed into the kiss and cupped his jaw. They were both a little uncertain about what they were doing but judging by the way it felt, they knew they were doing it right. It felt even better than they could have imagined.

"I'm sorry." Chanyeol whispered when they finally pulled apart a while later, fresh tears glistening in his eyes.

"It's okay. It worked out in the end, didn't it?." Baekhyun smiled as he brushed away a tear.

"It's not like I hadn't fallen for you the moment I saw you." Chanyeol murmured, thinking back to the encounter between the shelves filled with hundreds of light orbs in the vaults beneath the Byun workshop. The way Baekhyun's skin had began to softly glow to warm him up reminder him of the round spheres but somehow, Chanyeol thought that Baekhyun's light always had had just a slightly warmer tint to it that made it do distinct. The heat of Baekhyun's light was seeping through the wet fabric down to his bones, and for a moment, Chanyeol felt like he could finally feel whole again.

“You should tell me about it." Baekhyun mumbled, his thumb stroking over Chanyeol's cheekbone. They remained like that for a few minutes, just basking in the comfortable silence and each other's proximity. Eventually though, Chanyeol decided that the floor was too hard to stay there forever. “I think it's time for us to head to bed.” He murmured.

“Alright.” Baekhyun just hummed, his face pressed to Chanyeol's chest as he inhaled his scent deeply. His words came out muffled but he shrieked when Chanyeol suddenly sat up, picking Baekhyun up in his arms as if it were the easiest thing to do. The whole way to the bedroom, Baekhyun was clinging to Chanyeol like a koala and almost didn't want to let go when Chanyeol gently placed him on the giant bed. When he didn't join him in bed immediately, Baekhyun was about to protest but then he realized that Chanyeol was undressing. He had turned around as he stepped out of the robes, the wet fabric pooling around his feet. Baekhyun had seen him naked so many times before, but this was more intimate. He sat up a little to get a better look but Chanyeol was putting on soft pants already. When he finally turned around, he had put on a shirt as well but Baekhyun's mouth was still dry. Finally, the king crawled into bed as well, easily covering Baekhyun with his bigger body.

A mischievous glint met Chanyeol's eyes as Baekhyun stared up at him, a daring tone in his voice. "What are you gonna do now, your Highness?"

"I just want to hold you." There was no room for arguments in Chanyeol's tone and Baekhyun almost didn't mind that this wasn't going to go further just yet. Only being wrapped up in his arms like this already felt like heaven. "Just holding?" He couldn't help but ask anyway, itching to kiss him again.

"If I hadn't watched you drink that much wine earlier I probably wouldn't hold myself back.” Chanyeol paused. “I want you. I really want you so badly. But I think we should wait until we're both sober and not emotionally exhausted.” Fingers were combing through Baekhyun's hair and suddenly, Chanyeol's lips were so close to his again.

“Maybe you're right.” Baekhyun breathed, eyes fixated on Chanyeol's lips. He was already expecting it when Chanyeol leaned in to close the distance between them, but the touch of his lips still overwhelmed him. When they parted again, Chanyeol rolled onto his side, pulling Baekhyun against him so that his back was pressed against his chest. “You know I'm still the King, right? Even though you never really treated me like one, which I love about you. It makes me feel more… normal? But what I'm actually trying to say - being with me means you'll be the second most important person in the kingdom of fire." The words were hovering in the dark between them and Baekhyun took his time to reply.

"Yes I know.” He eventually spoke up. “But that's not my motive." There was no doubt that Chanyeol knew that too.

"I know that... I just wanted you to know." Chanyeol agreed, his lips finding Baekhyun's neck. When they touched the sensitive skin, Baekhyun's breath hitched and he automatically pressed closer.

"Hey... If you don't want to go further don't tease." He pouted in the dark.

“Alright, alright” The chuckle was audible in Chanyeol's voice but then he turned serious again. "From tomorrow on, do you want to present yourself as the King's lover?"

Once again, Baekhyun didn't reply immediately. That was something he hasn't expected to happen so quickly. "If you’re… ready for that?" He'd expected that Chanyeol would at least want to discuss it with his parents first. "I hadn't expected that."

"Sehun told me he was surprised that we still hadn't managed to get together. And I think it might be helpful towards our relationship with the ice Queen."

"Yes? Because she's homosexual too?" Baekhyun snorted. "I think you're just too hot for her.” He added as a joke, fingers lacing together with Chanyeol's.

"I meant it more like... Now that I'm not scared to hide it anymore maybe she might look at me with more respect." He reasoned.

“I see.” Baekhyun breathed out. “That's alright, maybe it will actually help. They all know me as your advisor anyway."

“Exactly.” Chanyeol mumbled, his lips ghosting over Baekhyun's neck again. This time the other didn't protest but just closed his eyes, letting sleep take over. Chanyeol listened until Baekhyun's breath had evened out before he could finally fall asleep as well.

  
  
  


The maids had already left the royal quarters when Tao stepped back into Sehun's bedroom. During the dinner to welcome and celebrate the arrival of the King of Him, Tao had mostly remained in the background. The dinner was a perfect opportunity to observe the group of royals and their followers, including the young King himself. Still wondering who'd set him up to assassinate Sehun, Tao wondered if it was one of the other rulers. There were probably several reasons that they wanted the young, and because of his inexperience potentially dangerous King gone. Still, the fact remained that if one of them were to be the one to order the assassination, they would have to have the power to infiltrate the army of Balam. Otherwise, there would have been no chance for Tao to rise up the ranks so rapidly. He wasn't stupid enough to credit everything to his abilities because even then, the ranking still relied heavily on bloodlines and nepotism. It was an old institution and even with a young King, newcomers almost always had a rough start.

 

“Are you certain you don't want to rest in the room next to mine?”

Tao looked up when Sehun addressed him. "It'll be okay my King. I can sleep anywhere and I’m not supposed to leave you alone. Just sleep peacefully." In his head, the words had sounded less ironic. Tao wondered if the young King would ever suspect him of not being trustworthy.

"Are you sure?" Sehun asked. The only bed in the room was the king-sized bed and the King didn't feel comfortable with Tao having to sleep on a chair if there was a perfectly fine bed in the room next to him. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable, I doubt that anyone would hurt me in my own chambers. They would have to get past the guards outside first, after all.”

“There's little that makes me feel uncomfortable. I've slept in far worse places. Even the armchair seems appealing and luxurious compared to it." Obviously,Sehun didn't have a clue about life outside the palace walls. It made it a bit easier for Tao to believe that he was doing the right thing. If there was one thing in life that Tao hated, it was ignorant people. His gaze wandered around the room and landed on a comfortable looking chair that would be more than enough to get a few hours of sleep in and not feel stiff in the morning.

"I didn't mean to imply that you need it." Sehun replied. "But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the comfort now. I know that not many people are fortunate enough to live in such a luxurious manner but if I am capable of providing you a higher standard, I will at least offer it to you. Whatever you do with the offer is your choice, though. I will get dressed for bed now. If you'd like, you could take a look at the dragon egg." 

The respective egg was resting in a wooden chest, currently occupying most of the space on Sehun's desk. Fine ornaments adorned the chest but what really caught the attention wasn't the chest itself but what was resting inside. 

The dragon egg was about the size of a human’s head. A soft glow radiated from the scales that shimmered in the soft light that seemed to come from within the egg itself. The rough scales reminded Tao of one of the dangerous snakes he’d seen in the wild before. At the same time, the egg was like nothing he’d ever seen before. With the color of pearls, it stood a stark contrast to it’s wooden chest. The temptation to touch it was almost overwhelming when Tao stepped closer to the treasure chest.

"Yes, your Highness." 

The sounds of clothes rustling reached his ears and when Tao turned around to ask something, he realized that Sehun was already undressing.

“May I touch the egg?” His eyes were trained on the egg again. Even though it was normal for a King to undress and be undressed with servants being around, it was not typical for Tao. The situation felt weirdly intimate.

“I remember saying that you could call me Sehun, right? Also, feel free to touch it." 

The glow of the egg seemed to double when Tao’s fingers brushed over the scales. At first glance, they’d looked rough but now that he was touching the actual egg, it almost felt soft like it would give in if someone were to gently push against it. Once again, Tao was surprised by how much it resembled a snake’s egg in that way. It felt warm to touch though and it felt almost soothing when Tao cupped it gently, his palm resting against the scaly shell.

"I wonder when the dragon will hatch." Behind him, Sehun had pulled on a silken sleeping gown. His steps resonated in the room as he crossed it and he came to a stop next to Tao in front of the chest. "I want to know if I can talk to it." 

When their eyes met, Tao could practically see the wonder in them. There was no doubt Sehun was genuinely excited about the dragon. Tao wondered if the King would actually ever got to see it hatch.

Before he could reply, the huge panther strode into the room. Instantly, Sehun’s attention was diverted to the large feline and Tao busied himself with closing the chest while Sehun climbed into the bed, the cat following him naturally.

Now that he had spent some time with the King, he could tell that Oracle was very fond of Sehun. Even now, she was snuggling up against Sehun in bed.

"I think I will ask the dragon tamer and the Queen of Mul for help.” Sehun mused, his fingers absentmindedly scratching at the base of Oracle’s ears.

“That’s probably a good idea.” 

Sehun’s eyes followed Tao as he crossed the room and got comfortable on the armchair.

"I’m so excited. Everything is going well so far I think. Well, besides..." The smile on his face faded and was replaced by a slightly worried expression. It passed as quickly as it had appeared. Looking away, Sehun pressed a kiss to Oracles deep, black fur. "I should sleep now, there is so much to do tomorrow."

"Of course" Tao wasn’t entirely sure what to make up Sehun’s words but he decided to brush them off. "You can sleep easily, I'll watch over you."

"Thank you. I think my brother was smart to suggest this, I am glad. It’s nice to know that I have people close by that I can rely on. It’s certainly not a given." He smiled and cuddled close to the panther.

Tao was still impressed with whoever got the King’s brother on their side. "Thank You. Sleep well now, you had a long day." 

He watched over Sehun until his breathing had evened out. He could roughly make out his shape on the bed, mixed together with the silhouette of Oracle. Tao stared into the darkness until his eyes grew tired and he drifted off to sleep as well.

 

The next morning, everyone was still waiting for news from Bihaeng. 

The following day would be the first day of a new moon cycle and there still were no reports of the arrival of the people of Bihaeng. The messages Sehun had sent out to the other kingdoms had clearly stated that the negotiations were to begin on the first day in exactly two moon cycles. Two cycles were enough time for the rulers to prepare their journey and come to Balam in time for the preparations to start. Now that the two cycles had passed, everyone was here besides the Queen of Bihaeng. 

Everyone knew that the people of Bihaeng liked to live secluded from others. They rarely sought contact to the other kingdoms in order to establish trade or alliances. Yet, they had responded to Sehun’s letter surprisingly quickly, confirming their participation in the negotiations.

However, Sehun was slowly beginning to think that maybe, they weren’t going to show up anymore. 

Sure, he could postpone the beginning of the negotiations, but at what cost? 

There was no doubt that a late arrival would affect the willingness of the others to negotiate. Some of them would consider it a display of disrespect, some would categorize it as a sign for disinterest. Sehun wasn’t sure.

There were several justifiable reasons why the people of Bihaeng were possibly late. At the same time, there was enough reason to assume that had changed their minds and abandoned the idea of engaging in talks of negotiation. Sehun really hoped that it wasn’t the latter. During breakfast, he had clearly noticed the unease among the other royals when they had realized that there was still no sign of Bihaeng. Sehun had felt the same uneasiness, too. Yet, he had tried to hide it, instead sending out birds to check the outskirts of the city and the area around Mipung. So far, he hadn’t received any positive news.

If the Queen of Bihaeng really wasn’t going to show up, Sehun knew that the whole alliance was at stake.

For now though, he couldn’t do much besides entertaining and distracting the other royals and waiting.

He didn’t like his options at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting a little stressful for Sehun, but we'll see how that goes. What did you think of this chapter? I'd love to hear your opinions, also constructive criticism if you have some!  
> Thank you for reading this, it really means a lot to me.  
> As usual, there's a new [moodboard](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1096829001182691328?s=19) too. Also if you wanna read more of my stuff, check out my other works or head to my [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper) for updates on my on-going fics and my wips. I love you guys for reading this <3


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far the longest chapter of the fic with 9.2k words! I hope you'll enjoy it!

There were still no news from Bihaeng by the time the sun stood high up in the sky.

Lunch had been as uncomfortable as breakfast, a heavy mood lingering around them like a storm cloud. Sehun needed to do something.

"It will be a great distraction." Sehun announced as he led the group towards the gates of the palace, guards surrounding the group like flies.

The city of Mipung was an old city that had witnessed droughts and floods alike. The Han river that the city had been built next to was both a gift and a curse, considering it’s crucial role in providing water for the people to water their fields and go about their everyday lives and jobs. Yet, the destruction it had brought upon the city in the past centuries due to floods was something that none of the inhabitants forgot too easily. The architecture of the city resembled the moods of the weather, too. The houses close to the river had been built on stone pillars and wooden stilts, keeping the houses above the water even when the water level rose. Whereas the buildings in the outskirts of the city were mostly built of stone, wood and clay, the houses in the city center were a lot more refined.

The architecture of Mipung was something that Sehun was proud to show his guests. In need of a distraction, the young King had decided to show the royals around the city and introduce them to the life, culture and cuisine of Balam.

The large group of people easily gained the attention of everyone that roamed the busy streets of Balam. It wasn’t often that the King visited the city without an announcement prior to it and the streets were packed with people. 

"This is quite dangerous." Tao was walking right next to Sehun. He’d leaned in close enough so that only Sehun could hear. “There are many opportunities to harm you.”

"I know it’s not ideal. But I needed a distraction to deal with the tense atmosphere. Everyone’s a little on edge.” He glanced at Tao. “Also, I enjoy being in the city with my people. I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve been out in the open and nothing has ever happened, it will be fine." 

"Yeah, but you've also never been this important before, or am I mistaken?" It was daring to object to the king but Tao figured that Sehun wasn’t the type of person to be easily offended by that. He didn’t get a reply though and he took it as the cue to shut his mouth.

Behind them, they could hear King Jongdae's loud voice booming over the hushed voices of the other members of their small excursion.

"Your hair looks exceptionally beautiful today, Yixing." As was to be expected the King of Beongae, Jongdae had immediately taken the opportunity to flirt with the healer that had helped him out.

"You look even brighter than the day before, your highness... Are you feeling better?" Yixing ignored the confused look Yifan and Junmyeon sent her. The two were listening in on the conversation, walking right next to Yixing. Jongdae had caught up with them just moments earlier and had immediately begun to chat up the healer.

"Yes, I feel magnificent." He beamed at her. "Especially now that I am graced with your presence once again."

She giggled, shaking her head softly. "I have to admit, you're not the first person to flirt with me, but you're surely the most direct."

"Well, I can't let a good opportunity go to waste. It seems I haven't fully convinced you of my qualities yet." The King chuckled.

"What kind of opportunity do you see in me, your Highness?" Yixing stepped closer to him so that not everyone would hear their flirting, and especially not Yifan and Junmyeon. Still, she could practically feel their stares burning into the back of their heads.

"Well, I am still looking for a Queen." He pointed out. "But a nice walk with you and me all alone would please me for now, too."

Yixing was taken aback.. "I'm... not of high rank or royal blood." Their eyes met for a moment. "I'm at Queen Junmyeon’s side because of my ability and because she is very invested in my brother. I'm hardly the right person to pursue for becoming your queen."

Jongdae immediately waved it off. "I don't really care about bloodlines all that much." He informed her with a gentle smile. "It interferes with feelings too often. It would be a pity to let someone as… alluring as you go, just because of your bloodline."

To her surprise, Yixing shared the same outlook. She’d witnessed the suffering of the people that meant the most to her simply because of societal norms that they couldn’t, or rather did not dare to break out of. “Look at my brother and Queen Junmyeon." Sending a glance over her shoulder, she spotted the pair just behind them and took it as a hint to lean even closer so that nobody could listen in on what she had to say.

"Are they in a relationship? I didn't dare to ask." In a poor attempt to act unsuspicious, Jongdae turned his head to check them out but at that exact moment, Yifan was staring at them. Quickly, the King of Beongae turned around again, ignoring the dragon tamer’s stare.

"No, they are not. But that's exactly why I was referring to them. I've never seen two humans that love each other more than they do, and yet, they still haven't managed to get together." Frustration laced her voice.  "Whenever I touch one of them I can almost feel real wounds in their hearts." It had happened several times when she’d reached for her brother’s hand or put her hand on the small of Junmyeon’s back. In these moments, she could feel the weight in their hearts. It was painful to watch them continue to keep up their act every day, but Yixing had quickly realized that there was nothing she could do.

"That is tragic, but at the same time, it sounds very poetic.” Jongdae still wasn’t certain how exactly Yixing’s magic worked but he trusted her enough not to mess with him on such a serious matter.

"Yeah. I'm just hoping that one of these days they’ll manage to get over what’s holding them back. The kingdom of Mul already considers my brother a fixed part of the royal family, anyway. I don’t think anyone really has a problem with him stemming from Bihaeng. I guess it’s the royal blood that they’re worried about. Or the lack of it. "

"That’s quite… tricky. But I think they'll figure it out if it's meant to be.” He dared to send a glance over his shoulder again. Thankfully, this time Yifan was busy chatting with Junmyeon so he wasn’t caught spying on them again. 

“So... What about that walk?" Jongdae asked once his focus had returned to Yixing. It wasn’t hard to give her all of his attention and so far, he’d barely seen anything of the city because he’d been so focused on her.

"Sure." Yixing responded to Jongdae’s delight and the smile that she sent him made him feel warm inside, something he hadn’t felt in a long time. When she reached for his wrist, he almost pulled it back in surprise but then let her put her fingers above his wrist for a second. It took him a moment to realize that she was actually checking his body for any injuries. It was one of her bad habits, checking on people that she’d healed just to make sure everyone was fine. Yifan was usually annoyed by it because she tended to overdo it once she knew the other person didn’t mind too much. 

"Are you just sneakily checking on me?” After a few seconds of confusion, Jongdae had finally caught up to what she was doing. “What do you sense?" He raised a brow and grinned but in the back of his mind, he was slightly concerned that she’d find something worrisome.

"I’m sorry, I tend to forget that not everyone should be checked on without permission." Her cheeks reddened a little but she still looked determined. "Your shoulder seems to be healed just fine.However, you still have some untreated injuries, your Highness. But they're old."

"So you weren’t trying to flirt with me? Cause that was my second guess. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. But… Is there anything I should be worrying about? Is there anything serious? I am an adventurous man." He stared at the sky, not sure if he wanted to hear it.

"Nothing I can't fix when we have time. It's not serious." She assured him quickly. It wasn’t her intention to worry him and Yixing decided that they’d talked enough about injuries and pain for now. Now that she was actually focusing on their surroundings for once, she noticed the people cheering for them at all sides. There was music and laughter and the smell of foreign spices filled her nostrils. They reached a big plaza and the guards fanned out a little to give them more space. Everyone was happy and relaxed.

 

Sehun had been chatting with Tao the whole time, happy to find out that they could talk very easily without the conversation turning stale. It had been a while since he’d last felt so free but deep down, he knew that it was just a matter of time until he’d have to face reality again. For now, though, he just wanted to enjoy himself.

"I want some street food." He declared, eyes drifting over the various food stalls.

"I should test the food before you have it. It’s just a simple safety measure" They’d stopped in front of a stall with grilled meat and vegetables, a delicious smell flooding their noses. Even though he doubted that anyone had poisoned the food, Tao at least had to suggest it.

The assassin wasn’t keen on potentially ingesting poisoned food meant for the King, however, he still had to keep up the act as his personal guard. As much as he disliked the thought, his job also included minimizing any risk that could potentially threaten the King’s life. For now, he was his guard after all.

The King had placed his order already, paying the beaming vendor and thanking the young man as he paid her a lot more than the food was worth. She’d offered it to him for free but Sehun declined, knowing that many people were having a hard time to make the minimum needed for survival.

Just when Sehun reached for the meat and vegetable skewer the old lady was handing him, chaos broke out.

Tao heard the noise of the arrow before he actually saw it. In the fraction of a second, time slowed down for him as he stepped forward and caught the arrow right out of the air before it could penetrate the young King’s back.

 

Screams filled the air when time began to flow again.

It seemed like Tao hadn’t been the only one to notice the arrow in time. Numerous guards were flooding the plaza, creating a circle around the King and the group of other royals. Sehun had turned around, staring at the arrow in Tao's hand with wide eyes. "What-" he started but he couldn’t get out any more words, shock setting in. Around them, Tao could see the dragon tamer wrapping a protective arm around the Queen of Mul and the King of Beongae was eyeing the windows of the houses in suspicion. Even the King of Him almost looked worried.

"I- What- how did you catch that? Somebody tried to kill me?" Sehun’s voice interrupted his thoughts and Tao turned his head, their eyes meeting. Just seconds before, the King of Balam had looked happy and relaxed. Now, he was slightly shaking, fingers gripping the skewer in his hand tightly.

Tao, who was still holding the arrow in his hand, nodded. "I'm sorry, your highness. I think we should return to the palace." It was important to stay calm now even when a billion thoughts were racing through his head. Who had hired the assassin? He wasn’t sure what to think. It was possible that it was someone that had been hired by the same person that had hired Tao, however, he couldn’t really see the sense behind that just yet. Therefore, he assumed that the attacker had to be either independent or hired by someone else.

Even though the King hadn’t responded yet, still too overwhelmed by the situation, the royal guards were already leading them away from the plaza back into the direction of the palace. 

"I- yes.. yes you're right." Sehun had finally found his voice again when they’d almost reached the main street leading to the palace. His face looked almost white in the broad daylight and Tao couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.

"I need to inform my brother!" Words were now flooding out of Sehun, a panicked look in his eyes. “I need to- nobody is injured, right? I need to talk to the other royals-” He looked around, his eyes landing on the Kings and Queens following him through the street. Instantly, the panic he was feeling seemed to increase tenfold when he realized that he’d just presented an incredibly weak image.

Taking a deep breath, he turned to one of the guards that was walking to his left. “Send out troops to all buildings surrounding the plaza. Investigate all houses, interrogate the market people and everyone that you can get your hands on. But…” He paused, his voice a little quieter now. “Don’t be violent when you talk to them. I’m sure everyone that is innocent will be willing to cooperate out of free will.”

The guard immediately nodded and began giving orders to his men. In the meantime, Sehun took a deep breath as he braced himself. He couldn’t waste more time, he needed to address the other royals to fix this mess.

Turning around, 5 pairs of royal eyes immediately focused on him. His heart was hammering in his chest, and for a moment the words he’d laid out in his head just a second ago were stuck in his throat.

“I deeply apologize for this incident. My guards are currently investigating the crime scene and I will make sure that we will find the culprit as quickly as possible. I am incredibly glad that none of you were injured.”

The whole convoy had stopped moving the moment Sehun had turned around to address the other royals. Everyone was watching in stunned silence as he bowed deeply, his arms folded behind his back as he stared at the ground. It was uncommon for Kings to bow this deeply but in that moment, Sehun felt like he needed to.

“Straighten up, King Sehun of Balam.” The voice of the Queen of Eoleum cut through the silence that had fallen upon the group. It took the young King by surprise to hear her voice and he hesitated for a moment before he did as he was told, once again face to face with the other leaders.

“It is not your fault that this has happened. It was a bit careless, maybe, but we all agreed to follow you to the city to enjoy a calm afternoon. In the end, we are the masters of our own fate and I am sure none of us expected this to happen. I can only speak for myself, but I do not blame you.”

A weight seemed to be lifted off of Sehun’s shoulders and he let out the breath he hadn’t even known he was holding.

“Thank you, Queen Minseok of Eoleum. I am grateful for your understanding. I promise to learn from this situation and I am certain that I will never act this foolishly again.” He even managed to send her a small smile.

Affirmative muttering rose among the royals.

“Your guards reacted quick and with great organisation.” The King of Him spoke up. Kyungsoo had observed the troops the moment he’d realized there was no imminent threat to his life anymore.

Sehun thanked him profusely, lowering his head a little once again. “I will send my brother the nice words, King Kyungsoo. I am sure he will feel honored to hear such praise from the King of the land of strength himself.”

 

When they reached the palace, Sehun’s brother was already awaiting them.

“I heard the news immediately, I cannot believe that this has happened in broad daylight in our capital.” Was the first thing he said upon seeing his little brother. Not bothering with a reply just yet, Sehun simply crushed him in a tight hug, unshed tears burning in his eyes. As much as it felt good to have a personal guard around himself, seeing and hugging his brother brought him incredible relief.

The other royals were already moving on, heading inside the palace while Sehun, Tao and his brother were still standing in front of the gates, a large number of guards surveying the area. Now that he didn’t have to keep up an image in front of the other royals, the words were tumbling from Sehun’s lips like a waterfall as he hurriedly told his brother about what had happened. When he finished, a frown was etched onto his brother’s features, the slightly older man putting a hand on his smaller back as he lead the group inside.

“We will find the culprit, I promise you that. The investigations have already begun, I have decided to take matters into my own hand so any findings will directly be reported to me. You do not have to worry, little brother.” 

Sehun shot Sehyun a warm, grateful smile. He was still slightly shaking, the adrenaline slowly beginning to seep out of his system. His eyes glistened when he next looked at his brother.

“If it weren’t for you suggesting Tao as a personal guard, I would be dead right now. I- I owe him my life. And you too, since you were the one to bring up the issue in the first place.” He babbled. 

His brother softly shushed him. “It’s alright.” He was smiling but there was something in his eyes that Sehun couldn’t place. It was worry, he assumed, and it hurt to make his brother feel that way.

Sehyun had taken his hand from his smaller back just to reach for Sehun’s hand, squeezing it shortly. His eyes flitted to Tao for a second.  "It sounds like your guard did a good job then?" Sehyun asked, diverting his eyes from him to look at his younger brother again who still looked sickly pale.

"Yes, I owe Tao my life. You chose the guard well, hyung." The exhaustion was audible in his voice when Sehun answered. “He is more than capable, you really must have chosen only the best.” 

“I’m happy to hear that, my judgment must still be alright then.” Sehyun chuckled. Clearing his throat, he took a small step back. “In order to catch the person behind the assassination attempt, I will have to check if there is any new intel collected by my men by now. I will inform you if there are any new developments, alright?”

"Yes, of course. Thank you hyung, I appreciate. Please take care of yourself, too, alright?" Sehun was still holding on to his hand tightly, only reluctantly letting go when Sehyun took another step backwards.

They watched the King’s brother striding down the long corridor. While they’d talked, they’d almost reached Sehun’s quarters and Tao now took over the role to lead Sehun there. It hadn’t taken much to figure out that the other was still too overwhelmed to form any cohesive thoughts.

"God.. I-I'm feeling a little shaky. Still, I should talk to the other’s again. Shouldn’t we have dinner today? I’m not sure if they’d appreciate that. Maybe everyone should take their time, maybe-” Sehun suddenly shut up, taking a deep breath. “I need to focus. I’m not making any sense right now.”

“That is a totally natural reaction.” Tao provided helpfully, stepping to the side as Sehun’s guards opened the door to his chambers. Sehun only nodded. Once they’d stepped inside, leaving numerous guards behind the large door, breathing already felt a little easier.

"You should sit down for a moment, I think the others will understand that you need some time to recover." Tao continued, about to help Sehun settle at the table when a flash of black fur whirled through the room. For a split-second, Tao almost slowed down time again but then he realized that it was just the large, black feline almost toppling over the young King.

“Oracle.” Sehun wheezed, the breath knocked out of him as a sizeable paw connected with his chest.

_ “You smell scared. Why are you scared? The whole room stinks of fear.” _

“Something really bad happened, Oracle.” The presence of the panther immediately had a soothing effect on his soul. Shaky fingers ran through thick, black fur, coming to a halt at the base of the female feline’s ears to scratch. 

_ “What do you mean bad? Are you hurt? You don’t smell hurt.”  _ Nudging Sehun with her large head affectionately, Oracle dropped down to the floor again with all paws to rub against his legs. Tao was momentarily overwhelmed by the striking resemblance to a normal-sized cat.

Instead of settling on the bed or at the table, Sehun simply sat down on the floor right then and there, his face burying in the black cat’s fur as he wrapped his arms around her neck. The familiar smell brought tears to his eyes again. A lump had formed in his throat and he found it hard to speak.

“Somebody tried to kill me. In the city centre, right in the middle of a crowd. I-I was so scared.” He breathed in deeply. “But Tao saved me. He saved my life, Oracle.” A pair of glistening eyes were suddenly focused on the guard who was stood in the middle of the room, unsure what to do with himself.

Sehun’s eyes bored into him, a small, pained smile on his lips. “You are the reason that I am still here. That Balam still has a King. I am forever indebted to you, Tao.” He tried to maintain his composure. “I will gift you anything that you ask, literally anything. You can have gold, fabrics, jewels, land..." Sehun listed, trying to come up with more things he could offer to Tao. In that moment, nothing seemed to be able to compensate for the service he’d done him. “I know there is no comparable object that I can grant you for saving something as invaluable as my life, but I want to at least try.”

For a second, Tao felt overwhelmed. Now that Sehun had said it, he realized that he had actually saved him. He'd just saved someone's life. Tao couldn't wrap his head around it.

His whole life, he'd never really considered himself as the savior. He was an assassin because people paid him for it, because he needed the money to survive. Because he was made to be a killer. Never before, had he actively saved someone's life.

A weird feeling filled his chest, and Tao wondered if he'd ever felt so light.

"I'm... Just glad you're okay your Majesty." The words weren't just empty phrases, and Tao didn't intend to solely please the King. Instead, the feeling of warmth in his chest, the chance to feel something like this, was something he couldn't exactly fathom yet, but at the same time, he knew the feeling couldn't be bought with any gold in the world. “I mean it, Sehun." He added silently, and the King just sent him a smile. 

Silence filled the room for a while, just the gentle rumble in the black panthers throat audible as Sehun scratched her ears.

“I will think of a way to repay you." Sehun eventually spoke up. They'd both gotten distracted by their thoughts and Tao turned his head towards the King. He'd been watching the birds dance in the sky in front of the large window, and for the first time, Tao wasn't as envious of their freedom anymore.

"Thank you." His voice sounded almost foreign to himself when he spoke. Quickly, he cleared his throat.

"Your hands are shaking, I'll get some water for you."

Sehun waved it off. “I'm alright. Well, at least I think I am. It just took me by surprise... It's a weird thought, you know? That someone wants me dead." The King swallowed.

“Have you never considered that this could happen? You're the King of this country, a lot of people would like your position." Immediately after speaking, Tao wanted to punch himself. Not only had this probably offended the King, it also had given away that there most likely were people wanting to push Sehun off the throne. Oracle had raised its head, intense eyes boring into Tao's. If the cat knew what his true purpose was, he'd be mince meat by evening.

Thankfully, neither Oracle nor Sehun seemed to have noticed anything off.

"Yes, you're right. I- I need to man up." He laughed awkwardly. "Actually, I hate that saying, now that I think about it. Why is it 'man up’? If I think about it, the Queen of Eoleum and also the Queen of Mul seem to have more guts than me. They are truly admirable leaders. I guess what I wanted to say was that I should grow up. I know that things have changed, whether I like it or not.” His hand stilled in the thick fur of Oracle's coat.

“It's just... I have often wished my brother had become King instead of me... But then he didn't have the gift and everyone was so adamant that it was necessary for the King to have the gift. I felt so bad for him, you know?” His eyes were staring into thin air. “Why am I telling you all of this?" Sehun shook his head, pulling himself out of his trance. "I should probably talk to the others again  but I don’t know what to say. I should at least inform them that my brother has decided to deal with the investigations of the incident himself, right? It would be better if they knew this is appropriately handled.” He sighed.

“Maybe you should rest a little first though. There’s no use in facing them when you’re still clearly upset.” Tao pointed out.

Oracle had rested her head in Sehun’s lap, eyes slipping open to fixate on Tao. Sehun considered Tao’s words for a moment before he nodded. "You’re probably right. I need to calm down and then I can talk to them again.” Sehun smiled at him but then his expression turned thoughtful again. “You're a good friend. We’re friends, right?”

The sudden question took Tao by surprise. He stilled, unsure what to say. Even though he saw things from a different perspective, he didn’t feel like a liar when he eventually replied.

“We can be friends, if you’d like that. I think you’re a good King, Sehun.”

Outside, the sky was clearing up. In the morning, clouds had hung in the sky but they were slowly disappearing now, giving way for the bright rays of sunshine falling through the window into the King’s chamber.

If he was being honest, Tao had never had a friend before. He’d had acquaintances, but no one that he ever let close enough to experience anything beyond that. Friends were weak points, his mentor had always told him. There wasn’t room for bonds when you knew you’d eventually have to cut them anyway. Friendship was unknown territory and Tao wasn’t sure if Sehun, in particular, should be the reason for him to venture into it.

"Do you want me to get you something? I could call for a maid or a servant." Not even really knowing where this was coming from, Tao couldn't help but ask. The pitiful expression on Sehun's face kind of got to him and instead of dwelling on it, he tried to flee the situation. He wasn't sure how to deal with this so a stroll through the castle certainly couldn't hurt.

"Oh, you don't have to. I could probably ask the guards." Sehun looked up from where he was still immersed in petting Oracle.

"It's alright, I don't think you're in danger right now and you have Oracle with you too, so if I leave for a few minutes, it's not a problem?" The thought had infested itself in his mind and now Tao really wanted to stroll around the castle, escaping the weird feeling Sehun had planted in him the moment he'd mentioned friendship.

"Well, if you insist. You could check the kitchen, too, if you want to grab a bite for yourself. Just tell them I sent you. Knowing the palace, word about me having a personal guard already got around anyway." A small smile formed on Sehun's lips at the thought of his people.

"Alright, I won't take long. Please don't leave the room or I'll get in trouble." 

Oracle's ears perked up at the sound of Tao jumping up from his chair. He couldn't leave the room quickly enough, a weight taken off of his shoulders the moment the door fell shut behind him. 

After informing the guards, Tao began to explore. Sehun's brother had given him a rough tour of the palace before he was introduced to Sehun and thanks to his sense of orientation, he managed to find the kitchen considerably quickly.

About to enter the large complex in the basement of the palace, Zitao's hand stilled in the air, deciding not to knock just yet. Somewhere behind the door someone was arguing, snippets of a heated conversation faintly reaching his ears. Quickly checking this surroundings, Tao pressed his ear to the wooden door when he was sure that no one was close enough to catch him eavesdrop.

“It’s not what I’m saying, it’s just what the people in the palace are telling me. Haven’t you noticed how nervous King Sehun is? It has to be because of that.” 

An unfamiliar voice was saying, assumably not too far away from the door. There were sounds of pots and dishes clinking together. Delicious scents filled Tao’s nose even through the door.

“Well, Bihaeng is a really shady country. Why would they not send a messenger if they knew they’d be late? It doesn’t make sense.” Another voice chimed in, this time a little harder to understand.

“I mean, that’s what everybody’s saying. I heard even some of the soldiers of the King’s brother’s soldiers talking about it when their master wasn’t around. Almost everyone thinks that Bihaeng is behind the assassination attempt. It does make sense though, right?” The first voice was talking again.

“Well, how exactly does it make sense though?” There was a sound of wood hitting metal and Tao almost flinched at the volume of it.

“Think about it, they’re extremely secluded as it is. Like this, if they had been more successful, they could have taken out the other kingdom’s leaders too. They were all gathered in one spot, out in the open.” The voice began to sound more distant, as if the person was walking around the room behind the door. Tao faintly wondered how large the kitchen actually was. He could hear other voices mixing with the ones he could clearly hear, but none of the other ones were intelligible. “Like this, they could have taken them out easily without being in the danger zone themselves since they haven’t even ‘officially’ arrived just yet.” Determination swung in the voice and Tao was mildly impressed. So far, he hadn’t really spent many thoughts on other people involved in the matter. The possibility of Bihaeng having plotted it didn’t sound too far off to him either, though. Still, he couldn’t really be sure.

“That… sounds kind of plausible. But still… what if it’s not them after all?” A third voice spoke up. The person seemed to have followed the conversation without speaking up and even now, the woman talking didn’t sound fully convinced.

“Well, if it’s not them, the King has an enemy that’s not joking around.” It was the first voice again. It was much closer to the door now again, and if wasn’t imagining it, Tao could hear footsteps behind the door. Just to be sure that it wasn’t actually coming from behind him, he turned his head. To his relief, the corridor was still empty.

“Whoever it is, they most likely aren’t satisfied that he remained unharmed.” The second person was much closer now, too.

“Thank god he didn’t get hurt. He’s so… nice.”

“He’s a sweet boy… And he’s doing well so far. He’s diligent and hard-working, but his personality is still soft. He takes after his mother. She was such a gracious woman.”

“She certainly was. At least he still has his brother. He’s taking good care of him.” It didn’t surprise Tao that the people of Balam and even the staff in the palace thought highly of Sehun. The young King had a respectable reputation and now that he’d met him, Tao was beginning to grasp what people saw in him.

“That’s right. At least he still has him. I don’t want to imagine- anyways, I’m sure that this whole trouble is coming from Bihaeng. I just hope it won’t result in a war.” Worry was laced in the voice of the first person, clear even through a wooden door.

“But with the alliance, won’t we be at an advantage?”

Tao had thought the same thing. If the alliance was formed, wasn’t Bihaeng at an disadvantage to begin with? In the end, that only made it more plausible for them to plot the assassination of the Kings and Queens before any sort of contract could be formed, Tao figured.

“That is, if the alliance still is being formed even without Bihaeng. I heard the King of Him had said something along the lines of an alliance only being favourable for him if all of the Kingdoms decided to join in.”

That was new information to him. It wasn’t like he knew a lot about the negotiations and their aims but in the last few days he’d spent with Sehun, he’d witnessed his fair share of conversations about the possible alliance.

“Let’s just hope for the best- hey Yeri, don’t drop that kettle!” A loud noise filled the air and Tao took a step back in time just before the heavy wooden door was pushed open, barely missing his head.

“What the hell-” A woman, probably about Tao’s age, shrieked, the pot she was carrying with both hands almost slipping from her grip as she narrowly avoided colliding with Tao.

“Sorry! I’m the King’s personal guard, I was about to knock and ask for a snack, the King allowed me to-” he wasn’t sure what to say but it seemed to be enough for the young woman anyway. “Yeri, hey. Can you give him some of the fresh dumplings?” She called over her shoulder and then sent him a short but honest smile. “Please apologize, I have to bring this to the quarters of the Queen of Eoleum.” She nodded at the pot and then scurried down the hallway.

Tao only nodded. Now that the door was open, he could steal a glance into the kitchen. Just like he’d expected, a large number of people were fussing about inside, everyone seemingly in a hurry. His eyes landed on a small woman that he assumed to be Yeri as she was packing dumplings into a bowl. Stepping closer, Tao got an even better look at the kitchen and he could actually see beyond the first few tables. There various tables with people milling in between. There was the smell of meat sizzling above a fire somewhere and Tao hadn’t even realized how hungry he’d been. Just when they’d been about to eat at the plaza earlier, the arrow had been shot and the skewers had been totally forgotten.

“Here you go. Do you need chopsticks?”

He’d been so lost in examining the kitchen that he hadn’t even noticed the small woman approaching him until she was standing directly in front of him.

“Oh- oh, yes that would be nice, thank you.” He looked down at her, a smile on his lips when he took the bowl. The dumplings were still steaming and after a short inspection, he decided that they looked and smelled amazing.

“Here you go. There’s another bowl in case you want to eat separately. I put about two portions into the large bowl so it should be enough. They’re King Sehun’s favourite so I’m sure he’ll be content. Of course, you can call for more anytime, someone will bring it you.” The woman, Yeri, smiled at him. Up close, Tao could tell that she was tired. A job in the kitchen of a palace certainly wasn’t an easy job.

“Thank you, this smells absolutely delicious.” He bowed slightly to pay her respects and then retreated. The whole way back, Tao had to resist stealing a few bites before he’d even made it to the royal quarters.

 

At the same time, Joohyun, the kitchen staff that had almost run into Tao earlier, had just handed the pot of soup to the maids of Eoleum. In the quarters of Queen Minseok, dinner was being served by her maids while the Queen was still getting dressed after a long bath with her wife.

“The rumours are quite… irritating.”

Luhan had just slipped the simple but form-fitting dress over her shoulders when Minseok spoke up. Her eyes landed on her wife’s naked back, her eyes trailing lower and lower to where a simple piece of cloth was wrapped around her waist, hiding the best part. Luhan barely managed to suppress a pout.

“Do you mean the things they say about Bihaeng?” She asked, her eyes still lingering on the expanse of revealed skin.

“Of course, what other rumours are there?” Minseok had turned around and Luhan’s eyes were immediately drawn to her chest. The Queen wasn’t wearing anything above the waist just yet and he she couldn’t help but step closer, arms loosely wrapping around the other’s small waist.

“There’s always talk in a castle, you know that.” She whispered as her lips brushed over Minseok’s neck teasingly. The hitch in her wife’s breath made her smirk and she did it again. The only response she got this time was a light swat of Minseok’s hand to her arm around her waist but they both knew she didn’t actually want her to stop.

“That’s true, but I think what happened earlier is still the main topic of today’s gossip.”

“I know. I’m still a little… torn.” The Queen finally gave in and wrapped an arm around Luhan’s waist, too. Immediately, her lips reattached to Minseok’s neck but the slightly older woman didn’t let herself be stopped from continuing. “I don’t know what to believe. I have met the Queen of Bihaeng before once, and I know it may come off as arbitrary, but this doesn’t seem like something she would do. But I could be wrong. It’s just…” She trailed off when the wet slide of Luhan’s tongue against her neck made her lose track of thought. “The arrow was clearly aimed at Sehun. There were no further arrows after that.”

Luhan hummed. “That’s correct. I was wondering about that too. Even though that one didn’t hit, why did the attacker not shoot again? Would they be discovered too quickly? There are too many open variables.”

“Exactly. That’s why I do not want to judge too quickly. I feel like there’s more to it.” Minseok’s hand had trailed down to Luhan’s butt, squeezing it through the soft fabric of the dress. A small moan escaped Luhan and she pressed closer.

“Usually, your gut feeling is right. So let’s just wait and see.” Her voice was muffled by her lips still moving against Minseok’s sensitive skin. When there was a knock on the door, they pulled apart in favor of modesty. Before they called the person outside the door in though, Minseok leaned in to press a soft kiss to her wife’s lips.

“For now, there’s not much we can do anyway. So let’s just enjoy the food and wait to see if the King actually addresses the topic again.”

 

It didn’t take long for Sehun to do exactly that. Just after he’d finished the dumplings together with Tao, he’d decided that he’d calmed down enough to face the other royals again.

A short meeting in one of the rooms where the negotiations were supposed to be held was arranged quickly and an hour later, they were all seated around a large, wooden table.

Sehun had just finished updating them on the new information his brother had provided him shortly before the meeting, which admittedly hadn’t been much. Apparently, they’d found a bow and and arrow on the top floor of a public building but as far as they knew, nobody had seen anyone firing it. A little unsatisfied with that, Sehun had no choice but tell them that they had no other traces beside that so far. 

By then, he’d obviously heard about the rumours too. Just before he’d been about to leave for the meeting, his brother had pulled him aside and had informed him about the most recent palace talk. They were now investigating if the bow and arrow they found could be connected to Bihaeng in some sort of way.

When he was done talking, it didn’t take long for the discussions to break out.

“What if it really is Bihaeng?” Jongdae had asked. The King of Beongae hadn’t heard of the rumours just yet but the arguments he’d heard just now seemed rather convincing to him. Beside him, Kyungsoo snorted.

“If that’s the case, I’m out. I’m not going to actively work against a country that’s directly bordering on mine. I’m not crazy.”

Just like that, everyone started talking at the same time, trying to convince Kyungsoo otherwise.

It was Junmyeon who stood up, effectively silencing the group.

“We shouldn’t assume anything just yet. What if all of this is just a big misunderstanding. I admit, it could be Bihaeng. But I doubt they would go that far. They’re too concerned with themselves and they have never bothered to actively go for another Kingdom’s land. So let’s not be hasty.” She paused. Five pairs of eyes were on her when she began to speak again. “We should wait and see. For now, there’s not much else we can do anyway, so why spend time making up assumptions out of thin air? It doesn’t serve the purpose of this whole gathering. We’re not here to fight.”

Everyone nodded reluctantly, even Kyungsoo.

“Queen Junmyeon is right.” Sehun suddenly said, sending the Queen of Mul a thankful smile. During the discussion, he hadn’t been sure how to turn this around but she’d done it with ease and Sehun was impressed.

“We need to focus on the positive aspects for now. We can’t tell who is at fault for what happened this afternoon, but my brother is making sure that we’ll find the culprit soon. I am positive that we will find them. And then we will see if there is any connection to Bihaeng or if it’s something else entirely.”

“Sehun is saying the truth.” Even Chanyeol chimed in now and Sehun thanked him with a soft smile. He’d known that he could alway count on his friend, especially in moments like these.

“Let’s all just relax and see if there is any news from Bihaeng soon. We should not give up just yet. There’s a saying in my Kingdom that I think matches this situation very well: Don’t blow away the ashes when the fire has not fully burned down just yet.” His eyes roamed over the other royals. “We shouldn’t just proceed with judging while not everything is one hundred percent clear just yet.”

Junmyeon nodded. “That’s right. I would suggest we all just take a good night’s rest and tomorrow, we shall meet again to see if there’s any new information. Let’s not be morose right from the beginning. There’s enough time for that later.”

 

The moment Sehun got back to his room, he collapsed on his bed.

Oracle had been resting in the corner of the room but the moment they entered, she got up on her large paws and crossed the room. Sehun didn’t react. He just stared at the ceiling above him, the only visible movement the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Tao felt slightly uncomfortable. He had no clue how to address Sehun now. It was obvious the other was stressed out, or at least worn out, and he’d never been good at comforting people. At the same time, he wasn’t even sure if he was supposed to be comforting him at all.

Something large and soft collided with his thigh.

When he looked down, Oracle stared up at him as if she were sizing him up. When she continued staring up at him, he realized that she wanted him to pet her.

On the bed, Sehun had finally stopped apathetically staring at the ceiling. His head turned in their direction, a small smile on his lips.

“I think she likes you. She wants you to pet her. She told me not to tell you and that you should figure it out on your own but…” He trailed off, a chuckle escaping him.

Tao just nodded. Almost hesitantly, he reached out to place his hand on her large head. The fur wasn’t as incredibly soft as he’d imagined, but still wonderful. The knowledge alone, of being able to touch such a majestic animal without being torn to shreds made him feel just a little bit ecstatic.

Oracle’s eyes squeezed shut as he scratched the base of her ears, just like he’d seen Sehun do before. Tao felt rather content with himself when she pressed harder into the touch.

“She’s loving it.”

Sehun was watching them from his spot on the bed. He’d rolled onto his stomach, face resting on his elbows.

“Seems like it, yes. I never imagined I’d be petting a panther at some point in my life.” The assassin sent Sehun a short glance, once again realizing how handsome the young King was. Even though he looked stressed out, he still looked soft in some way. At the same time, Tao could tell from just looking at him that he had matured into a man already. He was attractive and he couldn’t really look away. Their eyes met and when Sehun smiled at him, his ears heated up.

“I guess that’s not something people usually do, that’s right. She was gifted to my mother as a present when she was just a cub. My mother told me how frightened Oracle was in the beginning but once she realized my mother could actually understand her and didn’t mean any harm, they became friends really quickly. I think she still misses her, too.” Sehun said, his eyes still trained on Tao. It made him uncomfortable so he finally tore his gaze away, directing it at Oracle again instead.

Tao wasn’t sure how to reply to that. He hadn’t met Sehun’s mother but from what he’d heard, she’d been an amazing woman. Still, he couldn’t find the the right words to say. In the end, he just decided to stay quiet.

Silence filled the room, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

“I think I’ll get ready for bed soon. I thought about our sleeping arrangement again, and I am not satisfied with it. I don’t want you to sleep on the chair, it is uncomfortable. Due to the events of today, I forgot to order a mattress for you, but…” Sehun trailed off, suddenly looking uncertain. His voice was unsure when he spoke again. “If you don’t mind, you can sleep in my bed, too. It is far too large for one person anyway, and there is enough distance between us. I do not mind. You saved my life, Tao, I do not want you to sleep in a chair.” His words sounded genuine.

Everything in Tao screamed to decline, but for some reason, he found himself nodding anyway.

“If that’s your wish, I cannot say no to such an offer.”

“I do not intend to force you by any means, don’t get me wrong!” Sehun quickly added, almost looking panicked.

Tao waved it off. “Don’t worry, I know you don’t. You really don’t strike me to be a person like that. You actually mean well.”

Sehun just nodded and smiled, deciding to leave for the bathroom to get ready for bed. When he came back again, Tao was still petting Oracle.

Once Sehun had settled in bed, Tao took the opportunity to wash up, too. It felt weirdly intimate when he slipped into bed next to Sehun. Even though there was enough space between them, he just couldn’t shake off the feeling.

“Good night, Tao. And thank you for earlier.” Sehun whispered after he’d blown out all the candles. Only the moonlight was now tinting the shadows in the room in greys and blues.

“Good night, Sehun.”

It didn’t take long for the King to fall asleep. Tao watched his delicate features even out as the exhaustion slowly drained from him. He looked a little younger like that, but also more at peace.

When he turned his head, he realized that Oracle was observing them.  Feeling watched, he moved his gaze towards the window. As he looked into the dark night sky, he wondered how long this mission was going to take. For the first time in his life, he was beginning to have trouble keeping his emotions at bay.

Just when his eyes had begun to feel heavy, a tiny bird landed on him. It’s quiet chirps filled the air. It took him a moment, but then he realized that it was singing a song for him.

He still wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but the bird didn't seem afraid at all. It had landed on his chest and was making no attempts to leave any time soon. 

Eventually, it started to chirp just a tiny bit louder. Tao glanced at the young man beside him but apparently, the sound wasn’t enough to stir Sehun in his sleep.

Tao laughed silently, not believing what was happening. "Are you a friend of Sehun? Thank you for the song." He whispered, wondering if the bird would like it if he touched it. He didn't want to scare it, so he in the end he decided to just listen.

New sounds joined the bird’s singing. Little taps on the floor made Tao glance at the floor and his eyes grew wide when he realized that it was a squirrel rushing towards him. Before he could process what was happening, the small rodent had dropped a few nuts on the pillow next to his head. Just when he thought things couldn’t turn weirder, a weird sensation began to crawl up his legs. When his eyes landed on the blanket, he could barely make out a snake slither over his blanket towards his chest.

His heart was beginning to pound in his chest wildly. While he tried not to freak out, more birds came fluttering through the window and the noises grew louder as they chirped their song.

The snake was a bit worrisome, but so far, it didn’t seem to pose an imminent threat. It was coiled on top of his stomach, the split tongue flickering rhythmically.

When a magpie suddenly dropped a shiny silver chopstick on the blanket beside him, he was starting to freak out just a little.

"What is going on..." He  whispered. Because of all the animals on top of him, he didn’t dare to move.

Just when Tao didn’t know what to do anymore, a soft chuckle came from his left. 

"They're saying thank you.."

Turning his eyes, Tao met Sehun’s in the dark. The King looked fairly amused, his hair ruffled from moving in his sleep. Tao couldn’t help but think it looked cute.

"W-Why?" He asked, still trying not to move. More nuts were piled on his pillow and whenever he moved his head just the slightest bit, they threatened to roll onto the mattress.

"Because you helped me. They're my friends... They want to thank you for that." Sehun was still smiling.

"Oh." The thought hadn’t even occurred to him. "Thank you." He whispered, his words directed at the horde of animals. "I don't need all those nuts though... keep them for the winter so that you have enough to eat, you probably need it more than I do." His voice was soft and while Sehun translated for him, the chirping of the birds only rose in volume.

"They're saying they want you to take it though. They're your friends now "

"Friends..." Tao whispered, surprised at how emotional that made him. Not only had Sehun asked him to be his friend that day, now a group of animals wanted him as a friend too. Instead of replying, he looked at Sehun again.

"You literally live between two worlds, it's astonishing." some of the animals had migrated to Sehun.

" I wouldn't want it any other way." There was a dreamy expression in Sehun’s eyes. "Please take the gifts, they'll be upset otherwise."

Tao just nodded, still dumbfounded. When the animals began to retreat, he figured that Sehun had told him to let them sleep. After gathering the nuts and the spoon, he placed them on the small table beside the bed.

Once he’d put everything aside and had laid down again, he turned his head again to wish Sehun a good night but just when he’d been about to open his mouth, he realized that the King had already fallen asleep again.

“Sweet dreams.” He whispered into the now silent night anyway, his eyes finally fluttering shut.

 

Tao was pulled from light slumber at the sound of a knock on the heavy door. His heart rate picked up as he took hurried steps across the room. It was way past midnight, the moon standing high in the sky. A quick glance to Sehun’s face, pale in the white light of the moon, told him that the King hadn’t woken up from the sound.

The door squeaked as Tao opened it, wondering who would dare to interrupt the King’s rest at night. For a second, he’d caught himself wondering if it were his contact in the castle.

When his eyes landed on a young servant, out of breath and wide eyed, he was almost relieved.

“You need to wake up the King.” The young man panted, looking at Tao with urgency in his eyes. “A messenger from Bihaeng just arrived!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter, I would really, really appreciate if you left a comment or Kudos! What do you think will the messenger of Bihaeng tell Sehun? Also, who's behind Bihaeng?  
> You can find a moodboard of Jongdae [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1100874407373930497)! Also, you can follow me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper) if you're interested in spoilers and wips of my upcoming stories. Thank you for reading!


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Balam – Wind  
> Bul – Fire  
> Mul – Water  
> Him – Strength/Earth  
> Bihaeng – Flight  
> Beongae – Lightning  
> Eoleum – Ice  
> Mipung – Breeze (Capital of Balam)
> 
> all names stem from Korean vocabulary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me this long to update, I had a sekai fic coming up to post so I waited with this chapter for a while.  
> Actually, this fic stemmed from a rp I did with a friend a long time ago. Therefore, the basic plotline stems from the rp (she allowed me to use it) but I changed basically every sentence to make it an actual fic. Using the rp as a base, I began to add more and more things to the storyline that weren't there in the first place, because I wanted to make a real story out of this. I changed up every sentence, took parts away and added a lot of new parts. Still, I'm glad that I had the rp as a base especially cause the initial idea for this story came from the both of us. I just wanted to get that out there.
> 
> Once again, thank you to everyone who's reading this. I really appreciate it.

“What?” Tao asked, his heart pounding in his chest. He’d expected various things, but not this. “A messenger from Bihaeng?”

The servant in front of him nodded, the urgency visible in his eyes. “Yes, he arrived just a few minutes ago. He’s waiting in the entrance hall. Someone is already informing the King’s brother too and servants were sent out to the ministers as well.”

“Alright. I’ll wake up the King.” Tao nodded. Once the door was closed behind him, he took a deep breath.

By then, Oracle had woken up as well. The large feline had slept at the foot of the bed, her big eyes now fixated on Tao walking back to the back. When he softly shook Sehun, the cat watched in interest.

“Huh?” The King stirred in his sleep, a hand coming up to swat at Tao’s hand that was softly shaking him.

“Sehun, you have to wake up. A messenger from Bihaeng arrived at the palace just minutes ago. Sehun-”

The King’s eyes blinked open and Tao couldn’t help but stare for a second. Sehun’s hair was a mess and his eyes were still puffy from sleep. There was an almost adorable frown on his face when he glared at Tao, his eyes squinting just a little.

“Why- it’s still dark outside, what…” Sehun clearly hadn’t heard Tao earlier.

“A messenger from Bihaeng arrived, Sehun. He’s waiting in the entrance hall.”

Tao could pinpoint the exact moment the realization hit Sehun. The King’s eyes grew wide and he sat up so quickly their heads almost knocked together.

“What did you just say? A messenger from Bihaeng?” The King asked. Oracle had jumped to her feet, clearly sensing Sehun’s agitation. A low growl ripped from her throat because she didn’t understand what was going on.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… Someone from Bihaeng just arrived. I have to talk to that person. It’s okay.” Sehun immediately soothed her. The large cat immediately stopped growling but even after Sehun had got dressed and was ready to head to the entrance hall, Oracle was showing no signs of leaving his side. When he attempted to slip through the door after Tao, she immediately squished into the crack of the door and Sehun couldn’t help but give in.

“Alright, you can join me. But you have to behave, okay?”

_ “I always behave. Don’t worry.”  _ Oracle looked up at him and she slipped past them into the hallway with ease.

“Just stay by my side. I don’t want the messenger to wet his pants.” Their eyes met for a moment and the King couldn’t help but smile. 

_ “I won’t leave your side, Sehun, I promise.” _

Sehun didn’t doubt it.

The messenger of Bihaeng was awaiting them in the entrance hall, just like the servant had told Tao. Sehyun was already waiting in front of the door to the large hall.

“It’s a messenger from Bihaeng. Nobody has talked to him yet, he’s refusing to talk with anyone besides the King himself.” His expression was serious and Sehun almost envied how awake his brother seemed. 

“I see.. let’s not make him wait any longer, then.”

Entering the room together, everyone bowed when the pair, followed by Tao and the panther, stepped inside.

After doing the official greeting, Sehun asked the messenger to speak up.

“I, a messenger sent by the Queen of Bihaeng, am here to inform you about the delay of the arrival of the Queen and her people. During the journey to your kingdom, we were caught in a storm in the Kingdom of Bul just when we were about to pass the border to Balam. No one was injured but we lost a few of our resources and we couldn’t move on for a good few days. I hurried to get here, but with the whole convoy, I assume it will take about two days for the Queen to arrive here. She is utterly devastated to be late for the negotiations, and sends her greatest apologies, the Queen of Bihaeng asks you to delay the negotiations for another two days until she has arrived.”

The whole time the messenger was talking, he stood bowing to Sehun. After he told him to straighten up, all eyes laid on the young King, waiting for his reply.

“If that is the truth, we will delay the negotiations until the Queen of Bihaeng has arrived. It is in the favor of all the Kingdoms for the Queen to attend the negotiations as we want to form an alliance that encloses all the Kingdoms.” Sehun’s voice filled the room. Behind him, Oracle was fixating the messenger with her eyes and Sehun could tell the poor guy was actually kind of scared of her.

“The Queen will be ecstatic to hear of that, I cannot express our thankfulness, King Sehun of Balam.” The man managed to pull his eyes away from Oracle and bowed again.

Beside Sehun, his brother didn’t look very happy with the news.

“Is there anything we can do to help the Queen?” He asked and Sehun wanted to curse himself for not thinking of offering that himself. The one thing he didn’t want was to come off as rude and uncooperative.

“I don’t think so. We managed to buy all the things we lost and it’s only the distance leading to our delay.” 

“We can send a group of soldiers with you to your protection.” Sehun chimed in, wanting to offer at least  _ something _ .

“Bihaeng deeply appreciates your efforts, King Sehun of Balam. In the name of the Queen of Bihaeng, I assume that a dozen of soldiers might be helpful for our purposes. A lot of our carriages broke so we might need some help concerning transport.”

“A dozen soldiers it is, then. Please inform your Queen that we will wait for her and that we are incredibly happy that she is attending the negotiations. Now, you can rest for the night or if you wish to leave immediately, it is your choice.”

Apparently, the guard didn’t plan on staying in the palace longer than necessary. Half an hour later, a troop of twelve had set out to head towards the people of Bihaeng together with the messenger. For some reason, Sehun couldn’t shake of a slightly worried feeling, but he had decided to trust Bihaeng. However, it seemed like his brother was still a little skeptical.

 

After the incident, neither Sehun nor Sehyun had gone straight back to bed. Instead, they were sitting at a table, sipping on cups of wine as they discussed. Tao was lurking in the background, effectively distracting Oracle with scratches.

“Don’t you think sending out twelve men with a messenger from Bihaeng was a little too much?” Sehyun wondered, eyes trained on the cup of wine in his hands. Sehun couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked, and he wondered if it had anything to do with the extra work of investigating the assassination attempt. He just wished he could make him feel better somehow, but he had no idea where to start.

“Why? You were the one that offered assistance in the first place.” He asked instead. His eyes felt heavy as well and for a moment, he regretted not having gone back to bed straight away.

“I know but… after everything that happened earlier today… Don’t you think it’s a little bit suspicious that someone from Bihaeng arrived the day, or rather night, someone attempted to assassinate you after you haven’t heard any news from them for a few days? I don’t want to be negative, but I do find it suspicious.” Now that his brother was mentioning it, Sehun couldn’t deny that he’d had doubts. However, he didn’t think that acting overcautious was the solution to their problem either.

“I know it’s not ideal… but if I want to make this work, I have to trust in people, hyung.” He explained his motives. “If I don’t have trust in people, I will never be able to go through with the alliance. I need to trust them. It’s the only way.”

Silence filled the room as they both took a sip of their cups. It didn’t feel as comfortable as Sehun wished it was.

“And yet, trust can be the beginning of the downfall.”

The words made Sehun look up from his cup and when his eyes met his brother’s, he realized that maybe their viewpoints were differing more than he’d originally anticipated.

“You’re so negative, hyung.” He only said. Nothing else came to his mind after his brother’s words, and he wondered if he really meant them.

“I’m realistic, Sehun.” Came the immediate reply, followed by the clinking of metal on the stone table.

“I don’t know… I know it shouldn’t trust them blindly, but if they get the feeling that I don’t have any trust in them at all, why should they put trust in me? It doesn’t work that way. For trust, you sometimes have to give an advance in order to get something back. In this setting, I think it’s the only way.” The young King suddenly felt the need to explain himself. He knew that he was doing what felt right to him, but he really wanted his brother to understand it too. If the ministers didn’t understand it was one thing, but if his brother didn’t understand, it hurt him personally.

“Well, it’s too late now anyway, the troops already left. Let’s just hope the messenger was telling the truth.” If Sehun wasn’t mistaken, he could hear traces of resignation in Sehyun’s voice. He wondered where it was coming from. Instead of arguing, he’d backed down.

“Yes, let’s hope for that.”

Sehyun’s eyes wandered to Tao in the shadows. “It’s good that you keep your guard around. He seems efficient, I’m satisfied with his performance so far.”

Turning his head to look at Tao as well, Sehun nodded. He sent the man, still busy with petting Oracle, a tiny smile. When Tao smiled back, he tried to ignore how the beating of his heart seemed to accelerate just a bit.

“Yes, me too. Tao really is a blessing.”

Sehyun nodded. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. We should probably head to bed now, you’ll have to inform the other royals as soon as possible tomorrow. They will want to know about the newest developments.

Putting the empty cup on the table, Sehun stood up. It was time to head back to bed, the following day was going to be long for sure.

“I will, hyung, don’t worry.”

 

True to his word, Sehun called in an exceptional meeting even before breakfast.

“Last night, a messenger of Bihaeng arrived at the castle. He brought a message from the Queen of Bihaeng to me, and I sent him back with a troop of my men.” five pairs of eyes were fixated on him. “The messenger informed me that their convoy was held back due to a heavy storm and could not continue their journey for a few days. Therefore, the Queen is asking us to delay the negotiations for another two days. I granted them the time of two days, as I assumed that it was in all our favor that all leaders of the seven Kingdoms attend the negotiations.”

For a moment, the room was quiet. Then, the discussion broke out.

“Why didn’t you wake us up?” Minseok asked. A frown was etched into the Queen's forehead and Sehun immediately knew that he probably should have expected more backlash to begin with. Before he could reply Chanyeol spoke up though.

“Would it have made any difference?” He asked the Queen. They were staring at each other over the table and even Sehun could feel the heat radiating off of him. The Queen only granted him the perk of a brow, her facade kept cool.

“No but I still wish to decide on my own, to have such an important decision to be decided without my knowledge. Sehun was speaking in our name too after all.” She gave Sehun a pointed look. The King almost flinched.

“I did not intend to offend you, Queen Minseok. It was the middle of the night, and I thought that it was better not to rouse all of you from your sleep.” Sehun's tone was apologetic as he spoke and he couldn't help but wonder if she really was mad or if she just wanted to make a point. Either way, he didn't like the feeling of guilt that had immediately washed over him.

“Well, especially after the events of yesterday… Weren’t you skeptical?” Kyungsoo now chimed in. The King of Him didn't look too annoyed, thankfully, but Sehun still tried to consider his next words well.

“Truthfully, I was, but then I remembered why all of us are gathered here. To create an alliance, I need to trust you. And therefore, I decided to give the Queen of Bihaeng a chance to prove her innocence and her good intentions.”

Sehun almost expected Minseok to oppose again, but instead it was Jongdae who raised his voice.

“He’s right. There’s no place for hostility.”

Immediately, Minseok frowned.

“I wasn’t being hostile.”

“But you weren’t being trusting either.” The King of Beongae shrugged. Minseok opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it again. After a moment, she decided that she had to comment on it after all.

“Well, it’s too late now anyway, isn’t it? I guess I understand your motive now though. I do not want to hold a grudge so I won’t let this affect my cooperation.”

A weight seemed to be lifted off his shoulders and Sehun smiled at the small group in front of him. Maybe this really was going to work out. It felt like even though everyone wanted to defend their own interests, they were also willing to compromise for a greater purpose. It planted a seed of hope in his heart. When Sehun spoke up again, he really meant it.

“I’m glad to hear that. From now on, we shall decide together.”

  
  


It didn’t take long for them to settle on an agreement to begin the negotiations the day after the Queen of Bihaeng was to arrive. After a drawn out breakfast, they all went their own ways. Even though the events of the previous day were not forgotten, most of them decided to take a stroll around the palace or the palace gardens.

In a moment when nobody was paying attention to him, Jongdae had slipped into the empty spot besides Yixing during breakfast. He’d whispered something in her ear that only she could hear and when he pulled away, he could feel the burning stare of the Queen of Mul on the back of his head. It didn’t matter to him at all though, because when he smiled at Yixing, she just nodded and Jongdae sent her another smile before he slipped back onto his own seat at the table as if nothing had happened at all.

 

“I’m glad that you agreed to meet up with me for a walk. Your Queen positively looked like she wanted to murder me.” Jongdae laughed. Yixing had met him outside where the palace spread out into a beautiful garden with exotic flowers, gifts from centuries of friendships with other rulers. ”The wind has eased up a little." He said, his gaze directed at the sky for a moment before he looked at her.

Yixing was dressed in a flowy dress that allowed her to walk comfortably but still accentuated her lithe body. Once he laid eyes on her, Jongdae couldn’t look away anymore. As they began to walk, all Jongdae could think was that all of the beautiful flowers seemed dull compared to her. For a second, he didn’t even register that Yixing was actually talking to him.

“I was delighted when you asked me, King Jongdae.”

His lips turned into a smirk. “Well, I’m glad you see it that way. I was actually surprised that the Queen of Mul allowed it."

Yixing raised a brow but there was a smile on her face. "I am not bound to her, your Highness. It is my decision to take a walk with you. Also, I assume she is spending time with my brother anyway." She didn’t show if it annoyed her that Jongdae had just assumed that she had to ask the Queen for approval but he felt bad about it anyway. 

"Well, that's even better then. Also, I didn’t intend to insult you. I still can’t really decipher your relationship to the Queen, but as long as she isn’t going to kill me for this-” He boldly reached for her hand “I don’t really mind.” When Yixing didn’t pull away her hand, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

Jongdae had been to the Palace of Mipung once before a few years back when his father had been the King of Beongae. Back then, he hadn’t really cared much for the beauty of flower beds and water fountains but now that he walked down the small paths, he was starting to appreciate it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?” He asked after they’d walked in silence for a while. It hadn’t felt forced, just natural. “ I wish I could show you my palace gardens some day. I think you’d like them."

“I feel honored, King Jongdae, I bet they are very beautiful. Are they very much different to these gardens?” Yixing wondered. The memories of the royal gardens in Mul were still prominent in her mind. Whenever she had time, she used to spend it in the gardens filled with intricate paths lined by small rivers that led to ponds that were inhabited by fish and frogs. There were several bridges connecting different paths, creating a beautiful pattern that was only visible when you looked over the garden from one of the many balconies of the palace.

"Not better, but different.” Jongdae squeezed her hand. When their eyes met, he couldn’t help but smile and for the first time, he seemed almost shy. "The flowers are different to here. There are fields of flowers, wild ones that grow naturally. I like it like that, it reminds me that nature itself is beautiful already. It doesn’t need me to intervene. You’d fit in, I think. You’d looks so pretty in a field of flowers.”

"You mean you can imagine me in your palace garden in your kingdom?” It would be a lie if she said she didn’t like the thought of that.

"I would love to take you there. I really would. What do I have to do to convince you?” Jongdae winked at her but the tone of his voice was almost too serious.

She laughed again and swung their hands between them. "You're very cute, King Jongdae. Cute and confident. I like that. Men are usually intimidated by me. So you don’t really have to do much." 

"I'm cute? I don't think anyone has ever called me cute. I like it though." The King laughed. Even though their difference in ranks was well-known to the both of them, Yixing didn’t seem to be intimidated by his status at all. It was something that Jongdae deeply appreciated and it only made him want to kiss her more. Because honestly, ever since he first laid eyes on her he’d wanted to feel her lips on his. "You’re saying I am confident, but truthfully I just can't help myself around you, you're making me become a fool." Their eyes met and for the first time, Jongdae noticed that he’d actually made Yixing blush. It pleased him immensely.

"A fool would not approach me the way you do. You're open about your intent and I don't feel like you're hiding anything. You're smart."

Her eyes dropped to his lips for a second and Jongdae’s heart started pounding harder. What he didn’t know was that Yixing could actually feel the way his heartbeat sped up. Because of her gift, she could sense is heart rate easily. However, the thing that felt even more prominent to her was the constant, slight buzz underneath Jongdae's skin. It felt like a soft, electric current running through his veins and Yixing wondered if he himself was even aware of it. She’d noticed it the moment she’d first healed him, but back then she hadn’t made the connection. Now, it was clear that it was connected to his gift. It was an innate part of him.

"That is probably one of the nicest things I’ve heard in awhile. I like that you’re so honest to me. A lot of people would just try to charm their way into my heart by sweet-talking me but your words seem genuine. It makes you so much more attractive in my eyes.” He wetted his lips. “And I guess a King should be smart, you’re right about that. I have the responsibility for many, many people. I take my position seriously. In this aspect, were quite similar I think."

“That’s true. I guess in the end, we both look after others. Maybe not in the same way, but it’s the mindset behind it that matters.” Now that Yixing actually thought about it,  Junmyeon was quite similar to the King of Beongae. Intelligent but not cold-hearted, fierce but not mean. And most of all, they both deeply cared for their people.

"You should really talk to the Queen of Mul a bit more, I think you'd get along much better than both of you expect."

"Really?” The statement took him by surprise. “I don’t think she doesn’t like me too much, honestly. She once said I am too boisterous, I doubt I have given her any reason to change her mind." The memory of a meeting with Junmyeon a few years back made Jongdae have mixed feelings. Back then, Junmyeon had just become the Queen of Mul and Jongdae had been sent to her on the behalf of his father to represent him at an official event. He’d attempted to joke around with her, but the Queen hadn’t responded to any of it too well. At some point, he’d just stopped putting in effort and that had been that.

"Well, I assume she wouldn’t be too happy if you really attempted to steal me from her." Yixing tugged on his hand and Jongdae followed her line of sight. A few meters ahead of them was a small fountain. 

"Well, I cannot say I am particularly sorry about that." Jongdae admitted with a cheeky smile. Steering them into the direction of the fountain, Yixing waited with a reply until they had both sat down on the stone rim. 

"So... I can’t help but wonder…" She started, but didn’t know how to continue. The thing she wanted to ask was a lot more forward, and she didn’t know if it was too much. They both had been flirtatious, but this was taking it a step further. “Are you really attempting to court me?”

"Well, you could say so." Jongdae admitted. "However, as enchanting you are I'd like to get to know you better first. Tell me about yourself."

Yixing laughed.

"My name is Zhang Yixing, I was born in the Kingdom of Bihaeng. The country is breathtakingly beautiful. I assume you haven’t been there, but let me tell you a few things.” Suddenly, Yixing was wearing a dreamy expression on her face. “There are mountains so high they reach into the clouds. Most houses are built on rocks or on trees and the grounds are used for agriculture. Sometimes, whole villages are built in the trees. There are no streets, only bridges connecting the houses. I grew up in one of those villages.”

Jongdae was listening to her intently, completely enraptured in her descriptions. He’d visited every Kingdom before except for Bihaeng. It had always been somewhat of a mystery to him.

“I realized that I had a gift pretty early on. I could feel other’s injuries when I touched them, that’s basically how I found out. It took a little longer until I realized that I could actually do something about the injuries. Around that time, I learned about Healers. I realized that my gift had to be connected to that in some way. I didn’t understand how rare my gift was, though, and that’s when things went downhill for a long time. Apparently, the ability is incredibly rare. Actually, I haven’t met another healer before. All I knew about it stemmed from tales. Since I was still young and naive back then, I didn’t keep quiet. Soon, word spread in my village. It didn’t take long until people from other villages came to see me too. About half a year after word got out, a rich nobleman came and took me with him against my will.” At the memory, Yixing frowned. “My gift has limitations, but the nobleman didn’t understand. I can only heal so much until it starts to affect my own condition. The man just ignored it and used my powers until I was so weak I couldn’t even walk anymore.”

“Tell me his name, and I will find him? How can people be this selfish? Did he not care about you at all?” Jongdae was devastated but Yixing only shook her head.

“I thought I was going to die at some point. The only thing I looked forward to was the young teenage boy that was a servant for the nobleman. One night, he came and told me to be quiet. I had had a bit of time to rest so at that point, I was able to walk again. Together, we snuck form the house and then just ran until our legs gave in. We hid in the forest for the night, and the nobleman never found us again. That’s how I met Yifan." Yixing finished. After spilling her story to him, she looked awfully tired. Jongdae just wanted to hug her and tell her sweet nothings, but at the same time he had so many questions. He decided to start with the most pressing one. “So Yifan is not your real brother? I always thought you were family by blood.”

Yixing nodded.

“Exactly. However, to me he’s as much my brother as someone with the same blood would have been. He was there for me when I needed him and I have been able to rely on him ever since. We stayed in Bihaeng for a while longer after that but then decided to head to Mul. He had heard that there were dragons there, and apparently, he’d always been drawn to the tales of them. We didn’t have a place to be and no one missed us, so leaving the country didn’t seem like a huge step to us. Ever since we got there, we never had a reason to leave again.” Looking at Jongdae, she wasn't exactly sure why she was opening up to him so easily. Yet, Yixing felt like Jongdae would understand. 

The King of Beongae was at a loss of words for a moments. As he listened to her story, various emotions had filled his chest but once she’d finished, Jongdae had quickly realized that Yixing wasn’t a person that wanted to be pitied. “It seems like you have found your place, then." He softly squeezed her hands. Ever since he’d reached for hers, they hadn’t let go once. "I can’t quite find the words that describe my disgust for the person that used you solely for their own advantage. Your ability is something so valuable, it should be treated with care, especially considering the implications it has on you. And even though I can’t help but be amazed by your skill, please don’t think it’s the only thing that’s drawing me to you.” 

"I can tell it isn't." She immediately brushed it off. "If it were, you'd have asked me to heal more people already, there's always someone that needs healing."Her voice sounded like she was talking from experience. Jongdae didn’t doubt it

"Actually, I've been to your kingdom.” She suddenly said.

Jongdae’s eyes widened. “You keep surprising me.” He laughed. "How did you like it? To me, it'll forever be the most beautiful of lands, no matter where I go. But I admit, I might be biased."

A small bird landed in front of them, chirping loudly. They both watched it hop around in front of the fountain, picking at the ground for food.

"From what I saw and remember, the landscape matches your power and personality. It's wild and beautiful, cheerful but also calm in places. I liked it there but my brother didn't. It's too dangerous to fly because of the lightning." She explained.

“Your brother can fly? With the dragons you mean?” Jongdae was slightly confused. There was a lot of new information and he didn’t want to forget any of it.

“Yes and no. He does fly with the dragons most of the time, but truthfully, he doesn’t need them. He has the ability to fly as well. He only realized that after we left the nobleman together though. If he’d known back then, escaping surely would’ve been easier.”

“I’m learning so much about you and it all comes unexpected. But coming back to what you said earlier, I assume flying might by dangerous with lightning in the sky. And well, lighting is my speciality after all." He chuckled. "It does not always thunder and strike lighting in Beongae though. The sun is shining most of the time" His eyes moved away from the bird. Instead, he stared into the blue sky above their heads.

"Is it connected to your emotions? Like when you’re angry? Or happy?" Yixing wondered. She’d started to play with his fingers. They were nice. His hands were strong and manly but his fingers were still slim. They were soft, and Yixing realized that Jongdae probably never had had to work on a field or in a mine. Even her own hands felt slightly rough compared to his.

"Essentially, you’re right. When I was a child it was definitely worse. Over the years, I got to master my influence on sudden outburst of lighting and thunder. Nowadays, it happens whenever I feel like it. I never do any harm with it though." He watched her play with his hand and a warm feeling spread in his chest.

"Really? So you don't use it in battle?" Yixing stopped the movement of her fingers for a moment.

“I never needed to. I certainly hope it stays that way. That’s why I’m here. For the negotiations I mean. I want to make sure that nobody ever has to get hurt for no reason.”

 

 

From a couple meters away, Junmyeon and Yifan were watching the couple. They hadn’t intended to spy on Yixing but as th ey took a stroll through the gardens, they’d spotted them a few meters ahead of them. The two had been so engaged in their conversation, they hadn’t noticed them at all.

They hadn’t been able to hear much from their conversation, but the way the two seemed so comfortable with each other already told them more than words could have.

"I think she's lost..." Junmyeon whispered in defeat. They’d both walked away from the scene so that the two wouldn’t catch sight of them after all.

"I wouldn't call it lost." Yifan replied. He had to walk a little bit slower so that Junmyeon could keep up with him. His legs were just so much longer than hers. "I think she's smitten... King Jongdae is a charmer."

"I didn't expect it would be that easy for someone to snatch her heart. I think it's because the King of Beongae is confident and doesn't hide his intent. She'd like that, wouldn't she?" Junmyeon asked, unable to hide the pout on her lips.

Yifan watched her and once again, he realized how adorable the fierce Queen could be at times.

"Yes, she certainly does. Are you afraid to lose her, Junmyeon?"

"For all I know, you as her brother you would probably have a harder time than me letting go." Their eyes met and Yifan quickly looked away. Her gaze had been heavy and he couldn’t meet it for too long.

"For all I know, you'd leave with her." Junmyeon suddenly said. For a second, it felt like someone had knocked the breath out of Yifan’s chest and he didn’t even catch sight of the distressed expression that fleetingly passed over her beautiful features.

"I never had any intention to leave you. Yixing has to live her own life, we’re both adults, Junmyeon. If she wants to leave with the King of Beongae, then I won’t stand in her way if it’s what she really wants."

Right after she’d said it, Junmyeon had already regretted her words. Daring to look up at Yifan, she was relieved that he didn’t seem angry. Instead, she thought she could spot confusion in his eyes.

"Do you really mean that? You don't plan on ever leaving me?"

The Queen stopped walking and Yifan almost flinched when tiny hands were suddenly fisted in his jacket, the firm fabric scrunching up. He was staring down at her in shock, not sure where the sudden outburst was coming from. Junmyeon, however, didn’t even think about letting go just yet. "Because you can't. You can't leave me okay?" Her cheeks were flaming red but she just needed to get the words out.

Yifan was still taken aback when he began to search for the right words. "Of course not, Jun... We're a team, right?" Was the only thing he could come up with so quickly. His mind was still a blank, but the only thing he knew was that he couldn’t picture his life without her.

Satisfied with the reply, Junmyeon reluctantly let go of his shirt. "Yeah... A team." She whispered and then turned away, picking up a quick pace towards the palace again. It felt like something had changed, but Yifan couldn’t quite pinpoint if it was better or worse.

"Did something that I said bother you?"

Junmyeon shook her head forcefully. "No. You spoke the truth." They’d reached the path that brought them straight back to the entrance of the palace. Junmyeon was holding on to the small bottle of water tied around her hip. Just the feeling of the element so close to her was able to help her feel a bit more at ease.

After a few steps filled with uncomfortable silence, she couldn’t stand it anymore.

"I was thinking, maybe we should help King Sehun hatch the dragon egg. That would be the ultimate sign of our solidarity." It was a weak attempt at changing the topic but she couldn’t endure the uncomfortable feeling that had filled the space between them.

The sudden change of topic confused Yifan, but he quickly tried to accommodate. It didn’t feel like their problem had been solved yet, but it was better than not talking at all.

"Yes of course. Honestly, it is a lot safer if I assist him with the hatching anyway. We can take my little children with us, too.” At the thought of his dragons, Yifan immediately felt his mood pick up just a little and apparently, Junmyeon seemed to agree.

"Maybe we should let him meet our dragons first and then help him hatch the baby." She nodded. "So that he'll know what he’s dealing with.”

"Yes, that's a good idea. Maybe tonight? They’re down at the river at the moment." His eyes were resting on Junmyeon but she didn’t noticed, too focused on staring at the palace in front of them.

"We should ask the King. He was almost killed yesterday, they probably have to take precautions because of that. But he has a very good guard. It should be fine. Maybe he’ll agree.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever said no to meeting actual dragons.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more xindae and krisho this chapter! What did you think? Are you excited for the dragons? Let me know what you think in the comments! Whenever I see that someone left a comment or even just Kudos, I feel really happy. Especially with long, chaptered fics stuff like Kudos and comments serve as motivation. Thank you to everyone who has left Kudos or comments up until now, I love and adore every single one of you!  
> Like every update, I have a new moodboard for you. This time it's [Kyungsoo](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1106959518800535554)!  
> Have a nice weekend!


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long again, I hope you'll enjoy the chapter though. I can already tell that chapter 13 and 14 will be long ass chapters lmao. Have fun reading! <3

“The King’s brother invited me to visit the training grounds with him. I want you to join us.” Kyungsoo was standing at the window. The chambers in which he was residing were located on the east side of the palace where he could see the outskirts of the city in the distance behind the royal gardens.

“You want me to join you?” Sitting at the table, Jongin looked up from where he’d been reading a book Kyungsoo had recommended to him. Opposed to what people thought of the King of Him, he was really interested in literature and loved to read books whenever he had the time. Sadly, his position as King kept him busy during the day and sometimes even until late into the night. Yet, whenever he found a book that he’d particularly liked, he’d recommend it to Jongin. Sometimes - it rarely happened but when it did, Jongin loved every moment of it - Kyungsoo read to him. When the King was in the mood for company without any sexual favours, they’d lie down in bed and sometimes, Kyungsoo’s voice would even lull him to sleep as he listened to his soothing voice reading long passages from his favourite books.

“Why shouldn’t I?” The King now asked, now facing the soldier. His eyes were fixated on Jongin where he was hunched over the book.

“I- it doesn’t really matter, I guess. Of course I’ll join you if you want me to.” Their eyes met, and they both knew that Jongin had wanted to say more but Kyungsoo also knew him well enough not to push it.

“Aren’t you excited to see the training grounds? Maybe you could fight one of the Balam soldiers. Since you’re so keen on being an official member of the army.” He asked instead. A flock of birds had landed on the windowsill. If he was being honest, Kyungsoo had already thought of Sehun possibly spying on them through animals. If he was capable of talking to them, they could certainly be used as a great weapon, especially for spying. Yet, the King of Balam had left an impression on him that suggested that he wasn’t the type to do that. Sehun seemed to value the animals that surrounded him a lot more than to just view them as simple tools. With that thought in mind, Kyungsoo allowed himself to enjoy the melodious song the small flock of birds had struck up.

“I will do it if you want me to, but I personally would prefer not to.” There was no use lying around Kyungsoo about such things. Jongin knew that the other could read him like a book and lying was only going to make it work. The other didn’t like being lied to, especially when it was something so obvious. “I am not sure if it would be beneficial for our ties to Balam if I were to fight one of their soldiers, even if it is solely for entertainment purposes.”

Kyungsoo hummed thoughtfully. “Why not, though? Just a century ago, our people used to hold tournaments where they fought against soldiers from all over the peninsula. There was no ill thought behind it back then.” The tone in his voice was challenging but it didn’t surprise Jongin. It wasn’t rare for the other to tease him, however, he’d always do it in a rather subtle way so that everyone besides Jongin would not be able to pick up on it.

“As I said, if you want me to do it, I will.”

Apparently, the answer didn’t satisfy Kyungsoo. It seemed like he had expected, and maybe hoped, for Jongin to put up more of a fight. “Jongin.” His voice was suddenly a lot closer and when Jongin looked up from the book, Kyungsoo was standing directly in front of him. “I wouldn’t force you to do it. I know you don’t enjoy fighting, and I don’t blame you for it. You’re so easy to tease.” Their eyes met and Jongin felt the urge to reach out for his hand. Before he could formulate a reply, a knock on the door interrupted them.

Fifteen minutes later, the two had found their way to the training fields. A servant had picked them up from their chambers and had taken them to the area designated for the soldiers to train. After passing the stables, the smith and the sleeping barracks, they had finally met up with the King’s brother at the side of one of the training grounds.

“I feel incredibly honored to show you around our training grounds, King Kyungsoo.” Sehyun was smiling. The King’s brother was clad in typical royal armour elements of Balam, but the emblem on his chest was not the only thing that displayed his hand. At his side, a majestic sword was sheathed, the golden handle gleaming in the bright sunlight of midday.

“I am delighted to see how the soldiers of Balam are trained.” Kyungsoo offered a polite smile in return. “Your father was excellent in swordsmanship as far as I could judge. I only ever met him twice, but my father always spoke highly of him.”

There was a pleased expression on Sehyun’s face. “Yes, he was an extremely skilled fighter. Even to this day, I strive to achieve his level of sword mastery.” His hand wandered to the sword attached to his side, a fond expression in his eyes. Even without knowing the man too well, Kyungsoo could easily tell how passionate the leader of Balam’s army was about his sword and its mastery.

“I am sure that with hard work, you will be able to even go beyond that.” His eyes trailed over the training grounds in front of him. Compared to Him, they were noticably smaller, but that didn’t mean that Balam was lacking in gear and space. It was only that Him had a much larger army and was in need of larger training grounds. Kyungsoo’s gaze stopped at a couple of soldiers engaging in a simulated fight, a general shouting tips and commands at them from the side. “Is your brother any good at it? I assume he would focus on using his ability rather than weapons but it wouldn’t surprise me if he used both.” His eyes flitted back to Sehyun.

“Sehun is… he doesn’t really enjoy the thought of using weapons.” Sehyun cleared his throat. “Of course, as the Prince he learned swordsmanship, archery and martial arts, however, even our father could feel that Sehun never really put his whole heart into it. I think it was the the thought of hurting others that didn’t sit well with him, and I think it still doesn’t. From all the different fighting styles, he did excel in archery though.”

“I see.” Kyungsoo nodded. This just confirmed what he’d already expected from the King of Balam. Upon meeting him for the first time, Kyungsoo could immediately tell that Sehun did not seek war. He seemed calm and friendly, almost soft. In no way did he leave the impression of weakness, it was more of an underlying feeling of wanting to spread calm and creating a comfortable atmosphere.

“I heard that the army of Him consists of both men and women.” Sehyun’s line of sight had followed Kyungsoo’s eyes, now also watching the group of soldiers train. Jongin was standing beside them, not too interested in the fighting. The conversation, however, seemed worthwhile.

“The concept seems foreign to me, but I do find it rather interesting.” Sehyun continued.

Kyungsoo sent a short glance into his direction but the King’s brother was still facing the soldiers. “Yes, it does. As you probably know, Him considers physical and psychological strengths incredibly important. I guess you can say that there’s a certain mindset to our people. Jongin, here for example” he nodded into Jongin’s direction “stems from a family of high rank generals. His sisters serve in the army, too.”

Instantly, the focus of Sehyun was aimed at Jongin who began to look slightly uncomfortable. Glancing at Kyungsoo, he internally cursed the other for involving him in the conversation.

“Oh, it must be an honour for you to serve so close under the King then.” Sehyun sent him a smile.

Sometimes Jongin wondered what people would say if they found out that he and Kyungsoo slept together. He was sure that people wouldn’t look at him the same way. If Sehyun had asked his family, Jongin was sure they’d have instantly confirmed his statement. They were ecstatic that their only son was serving so close under the King. Truthfully, Jongin couldn’t blame them. It was an honour, but there was a suppressed the feeling spreading in his chest that told him that for him there was a different motivation behind being so close to the King. Yet, he couldn’t say that out loud, so, as expected of him, he resorted to the only possible reply. “It certainly is. I value every day by his side.”

Sehyun nodded in approval. “For a King, it is important to have loyal people at their side. King Kyungsoo can consider himself lucky to have someone like you at his side then. But I’m sure he’s aware of that.”

Kyungsoo searched for Jongin eyes but he was staring at his feet so he didn’t notice.

“Sehun must consider himself lucky to have you at his side then.” Kyungsoo then said. When Jongin finally looked up, Kyungsoo was already watching the soldiers again. They were practicing a new maneuver and a few seemed to encounter some issues.

“I think he does.” Sehyun was watching them too. There was a little edge to his voice and Kyungsoo wondered if it came from the soldiers struggling in front of them or if if it stemmed from something else entirely.

“It is very obvious.” Kyungsoo couldn’t help but chuckle. “He sticks to you and it seems like he seeks you out. You might think that I consider this a weakness, but in fact, I think it is a strength. Even the strongest man cannot win against a whole army. He needs men, or women for that matter, to rely on, people that will support him and follow him. Alone, he’ll be nothing more than a the person that thought he was better than everyone else. Relationships are important. That’s why I look forward to working on this alliance.”

For a moment, Sehyun was quiet. It seemed like he had to find the right words first but then, he smiled at him. “You speak wise words, King Kyungsoo. I think Sehun would agree with you immediately. He’s always been the one to converse and form friendships easily.”

“It seems like it, yes. It also shows the appreciation someone has for their people. If you think you can do it on your own, they’re worthless to you. But if you rely on them, you want to protect them. I want to protect my people. That’s why I should think we should consider exchanging fighting practices and work together. Maybe we could even talk about forming a united army. But I will save that for the negotiations. I’ve been talking too much already, it’s tiring. Why don’t we continue with our stroll around the training grounds?”

The walk around the training grounds took them about an hour and by the time Kyungsoo and Jongin had returned to the King’s chambers, they knew a lot more about the training process and the methods used by the army of Balam. This alone was enough for the King of Him to understand how serious Sehun was about the negotiations. Having the training grounds shown to him by his brother was an act of kindness, but actually gathering insight on the military structure of Balam was a privilege.

“I am still surprised by how informative that really was.” Jongin had settled back at the table where he’d left the book earlier. It was still opened on the same page but when he saw the look in Kyungsoo’s eyes, he doubted he’d get any more reading done.

“I know. Sehun certainly wants to befriend me. I appreciate the effort.”

Kyungsoo had settled down on the bed, his eyes trained on Jongin. “Did you enjoy it though? I think it was also a good way to get a better impression of the palace and the King’s brother. He seems nice, don’t you think?”

“Yes, he was nice. But he has to be, right? You’re of a higher rank than him, obviously.”

Kyungsoo chuckled. “You’re right. It’s hard to judge if people are actually nice to me because they want to be or if they’re nice because they have to.” He paused. “What about you? Are you nice to me because you want to or are you just doing your job?” His tone was light but still, Jongin felt uneasy.

“You already know the answer to that.”

With a quiet laugh, Kyungsoo stood up and crossed the short distance between them. Soft fingers traced over Jongin’s cheekbone as he tilted Jongin’s face up so that their eyes could meet.

“I know the answer, yes. But I still want you to say it.”

Jongin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. His cheeks betrayed him though, reddening at Kyungsoo’s proximity. “Of course I like you.”

Instead of a reply, Kyungsoo just leaned in and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. When their lips parted, Jongin wondered if the King understood how much he actually meant his words.

 

In the evening of the same day, Sehun was seated at a table with Yifan and Junmyeon in his chambers, the large dragon egg on a pillow in the middle of the wooden table. Tao was leaning against the wall, watching the scene in interest. Beside him, Oracle was dozing on the bed. When the Queen of Mul and the dragon tamer had entered the royal chambers, they’d first been a little worried about the fully grown panther but Sehun had quickly explained that they didn’t have to be worried and they had decided to just ignore the big feline.

All eyes in the room were trained on the egg.

"We'd like to help you hatch it. You kept it in the box, right?” Junmyeon asked, reaching out to lightly trace over the rough surface of the dragon egg. It felt surprisingly warm and just like the first time when Sehun had laid eyes on it, it emitted a soft glow.

“Yes, we kept it in the box. I wasn’t sure if it needed specific treatment. I have heard legends where the egg has to be kept warm, like keeping it in a burning fire at all times. That’s not true, is it?”

Yifan couldn’t help but laugh. “No, that’s not true at all. You are right though, there are certainly a lot of myths surrounding the hatching of dragon eggs and dragons in general. May I?” He pointed at the egg and Sehun just nodded, watching the dragon tamer pick it up carefully.

“Contrary to popular belief, heat or cold do not have an effect on the eggs at all. It is light exposure that is the decisive factor.” His fingers trailed over the rough scales as he explained.

“So, does it have to be exposed to light? I didn’t know…” Sehun looked mildly distressed. He hadn’t intended to ruin his chances of hatching the dragon by shielding it from light but he’d figured that he’d receive instructions from Junmyeon and Yifan eventually.

“No, it’s the opposite actually. Dragons usually lay their eggs in places where they’re undisturbed. These places happen to be caves most of the time. It is believed that over the course of centuries, the eggs became sensitive to light and from experience, I can say that dragon eggs that were kept in the dark have always hatched, at least the ones that I took care of.”

Stunned, Sehun stared at the egg. Keeping the eggs in the dark certainly hadn’t been something that he’d expected to be necessary to hatch them. Still, Yifan probably knew what he was talking about so he didn’t even think about ignoring his advice.

“I never would have expected that but it does sound plausible. So, I should just leave it in the box? Doesn’t it harm the egg now that we’ve taken it out of the box?” He sent it a worried look.

“It’s been out of the box for just five minutes, it will be fine. You shouldn’t keep it in the bright sunlight for longer than half an hour though but now it’s already dark outside so it’s okay for a while.”

Sehun nodded in understanding. “I see. But will that be enough? I don’t have to do anything else?”

“You just have to wait. It will take a few more days to hatch for sure. The hatching period usually can range from six to nine weeks. Now, all you can do is wait.”

Sehun nodded. Initially, he’d been really excited about the egg but now, he was starting to realize that this was another load of responsibility that he would have to take on.

Apparently, Junmyeon could sense his uneasiness.

“It’s alright, Sehun. I know all of that probably is a lot to process but if it helps you, we’ll most likely still be here when it hatches because of the negotiations. We will help you as best as we can. Yifan has raised several dragons, so he will answer all your questions.” She smiled.

With his eyes focused on the large egg again, Sehun nodded. “Thank you. I am really happy about the egg but at the same time, I’m worried. I’ve never met a dragon before.”

Grinning, Yifan exchanged quick looks with Junmyeon. “Well, we could change that. Are you able to leave the palace?" He asked. Behind them, Tao’s interest had been piqued. If they were going to leave the palace again, he would definitely have to keep an eyes on Sehun.

"Yes, of course. Tao will accompany me." The King of Balam glanced into Tao’s direction while Yifan carefully put the egg back into the box. It was still glowing softly, the light more prominent in contrast to the dark interior of the wooden box.

“So we will really meet your dragons? I heard from some of the servants that they spotted them down at the river. I never would have thought I would ever get to see them. Will we talk to them?”

Yifan laughed. "I think there's only one person that will do the talking. They're staying down at the river. No one knows we’re going there, it should be safe. If you’d like, soldiers of Mul or Balam could accompany us.”

"It should be fine" Sehun brushed it off, much to Tao’s disdain. If something happened to Sehun, he’d have to deal with the consequences after all. As long as he didn’t receive the final order, he was supposed to look after him.

 

Still, half an hour later they had reached the river bank without the backup of soldiers. Moonlight illuminated the water as they walked along the small path that led them further away from the palace, right beside the river. The sun had gone down about an hour ago.

"They're in the water.” Yifan pointed at the dark body of water beside them. All of them were carrying small oil lamps but it was still considerably dark.

“If you want you can try calling them, their names are Shui and Bo ." The dragon tamer explained.

As they stepped closer to the water, Sehun could make out a small shimmer beneath the black surface. It was not the moonlight reflecting off of the water, he was sure of that. The soft glow seemed to come from underneath the surface and it reminded him a little of the glow of the dragon egg. Sitting down at the edge of the water, Sehun hesitated to call out their names at first. Would they actually communicate with him? He wasn’t even sure if he would understand them either.

When he finally called out their names quietly, nothing happened for about a minute.

Then, small bubbles began to rise up from underneath the water and the glow intensified. “Are you out there?” Sehun asked, still waiting for a reply.

_“Who are you?”_ An unknown, deep voice filled his head. Instantly, his heart rate picked up. As his eyes widened, even the others realized that something was happening even though the dragons hadn’t even emerged from the water yet.

Sehun almost stumbled when something suddenly broke through the surface. Shui emerged first, the body still hidden in the water, only the head poking out from the blackness.

The dragon’s eyes were shining like the full moon when he looked at Sehun.

The young King was rooted to the spot. The dragon’s gaze was so intense that he couldn’t look away. Behind them, the others had quietened down as well. Nobody was moving.

Slowly, Sehun held out his head. Just like he would do with animals that didn’t know him, he wasn’t going to touch the dragon unless the dragon made it clear that he didn’t have any problems with it. To his surprise, it didn’t take long for the dragon to nuzzle his snout against his hand. Sehun’s heart leapt in his chest.

“'I'm Sehun, can you understand me? I want to talk to you.”

_"You're human but you can talk to us?"_ Surprise laced the dragon’s voice and Sehun couldn’t blame it.

'Yes, it's a gift of mine. You're very beautiful, I've never met a dragon before. Do you like being touched?" He asked.

Right behind Sehun, Yifan felt like fainting. To him, the interaction made it clear that the two were actually talking. No one had touched Shui and Bo without weeks or months of getting to know them and Sehun had just touched the dragon after seeing it for the first time.

_"Not by someone that doesn't understand us."_ Shui replied. Without ever breaking contact with Sehun’s hand, the rest of the dragon’s body slipped out of the water, floating above the black surface. Just a moment later, the surface broke again as Bo followed him gracefully. Sehun was sure that he’d never seen such beautiful creatures. Only now Sehun realized that the dragons were coloured differently. While Shui was a deep midnight blue and silver, Bo was turquoise and white like the colours of waves of the ocean.

"You're insanely beautiful. I am grateful to be allowed in your presence." Sehun whispered. The two dragons had fully slipped out of the water, now circling around Sehun, gently floating in the air. Their scales shone in the white moonlight as they glided through the air without resistance.

_"We are Shui and Bo. We are friends of Yifan and Junmyeon."_ Their voices rang in his head simultaneously. _"You are Sehun, King of this land."_

"I am. Do you like it here? Do you like the wind? I control it." The dragons began to make loops in the air as Sehun spoke. Long, lithe bodies writhed around each other. Shui glided back into the water, just to resurface again and Yifan realized that the two were putting on a show for Sehun. Obviously, the group behind Sehun could only hear Sehun's side of the conversation.

_"You control the wind, we control water. Can you make it rain?"_ Shui asked, moving closer until his snout pressed against Sehun's hand again.

"I’ve never made it rain before. But with your help, I can try.” Instantly, the wind picked up. With gentle movements of his fingers, Sehun directed a blow of wind into the water. As the gush of air dove into the wetness, a small spray of water appeared just where the dragons were floating. It wasn't rain, but the dragons got excited and flew through the mist anyway.

Delighted by the display in front of him, Sehun did it again and with a laugh, the water rose higher this time. It began to resemble rain a little more and the dragons twirled around the spray of water.

With a chuckle, Junmyeon stepped forward. With a brush of her hand, fat drops of rain began to fall down just above the spot on the river where the dragons were playing.

_“The Queen is making it rain for us.”_ The dragons cheered loudly. A smile broke out on Sehun’s face as he watched.

"They're playing together." Yifan whispered. "I have to admit, I'm jealous. I always wished I could talk to them." It was quite hard to watch his dragons interacting so easily with the King of Balam when it had taken him weeks to be able to do that. Ever since he’d started working with dragons, he’d wished he’d be able to talk to them just once. However, the idea of actually being able to talk to them suddenly felt rather surreal.

"You could ask Sehun if you can talk to him via them." Of course, Junmyeon knew how he’d feel at the moment. Yifan sent her a small smile and nodded, taking a step closer to Sehun.

The moment the two dragons spotted him beside the King of Balam, they sped towards him. Just a second later, Shui tackled into him playfully while Bo circled around him. A lump in his throat made it hard to speak. "Hey… I'm sorry I didn't visit you yesterday, but I know you two are good at entertaining yourself. It was a long day."

_“It’s okay, we know you're busy! You look tired.”_ They said in unison. Without being asked, Sehun translated their words.

Next to him, Yifan just blinked at Sehun. Then, his eyes fell on the dragons again and he couldn’t help a few tears from gathering at the corner of his eye. Quickly, he wiped them away before anyone could see. "I... Am a little tired. But I should have visited you anyway." His fingers trailed over Bo’s rough scales, the feeling so familiar.

_"We're fine, Yifan. There’s a lot of space to play around in the river. It's so pretty here, too. But we want to fly again."_ Shui responded almost immediately. While the two dragons had always understood what Yifan told them, the idea that Yifan could now understand what they were saying was completely new to them too. As Sehun translated, they bumped their heads into Yifan, waiting for his response. Once the three had gotten used to Sehun translating for them, they easily fell into a conversation.

"King Sehun, I don't know how to thank you." Yifan eventually blurted out. Shui had just asked him to fly with them again and Yifan just couldn’t take it anymore. A few more tears had slipped down his cheeks but he was beyond the point of caring about it. "I... I've known these two for years and years but I could never be sure what they were saying. We communicated through gestures but… this is just- I can’t even put it into words.”

A small hand landed on the small of his back and when he looked down, he realized that Junmyeon had stepped next to him. She didn’t say anything, but instantly, Yifan felt more grounded.

"I think they really love and trust you." Sehun had observed the way Yifan had interacted with the dragons. Even when they hadn’t spoken, he could tell that the three had a wholly different kind of connection.

"I was hoping they do." Yifan wiped at his eyes again. "I really love them too. I don’t know what I’d be doing without them.”

_“We would be very bored without you!”_ Shui immediately booped his snout against Sehun to urge him to translate which he did with a laugh. _“We would be sad without you, too.”_

As Yifan explained that the two dragons were actually still rather young for dragons, Junmyeon couldn’t help but feel a pang in her chest as she watched them. It wasn’t the bad kind. It was a feeling that filled up her whole chest, a warmth that she couldn’t explain with any of the words that she knew. Before this, Junmyeon had never seen Yifan this soft and emotional. It was a different side of him that he’d never allowed her to see and it just filled her heart with the desire to hold his hand and take care of him.

With a glance at the Queen and the dragon tamer, Sehun could sense that they needed a little bit of space. With a nod aimed at Tao, he signalled the other to follow him a little further down the river. Just from this little interaction, he’d learned that Yifan didn’t really need him to talk to Shui and Bo. Over time, the three had learned to interpret each other and send signals in non-verbal ways that sometimes were a lot stronger than any words could be. Of course, Sehun was still happy about making this possible for Yifan, but at the same time he knew that they didn’t need him to understand each other.

After staying in the background for the whole time, Tao cleared his throat. They were a only a few meters away from the others, but the group of four seemed to be lost in their own world, paying them no attention at all.

"That was pretty amazing. You made him really happy."

Sehun looked at Tao in surprise. "I just like to help whenever I can." He smiled as they watched one of the dragons almost playfully knocking over Yifan. "The dragons are so playful. It’s almost adorable. I wonder if they’re very different to older dragons. I always imagined them more… stern.”

"Well, they gave you an egg, right? Soon you'll have a tiny baby dragon by your side." The knowledge that Sehun’s time was limited left a bitter aftertaste in Tao’s mouth. Beside him, Sehun was entirely clueless as he stared up at the sky, his eyes forming small crescents as he smiled. “I know, I'm really excited about that." He turned his head to look at Tao. "The stars look so pretty tonight."

Silently, Tao just raised his head towards the stars as well. There was nothing he could think of saying. Sehun was so open to him while all he did was lie.

Actually, Tao thought, that wasn’t true. Almost everything he said was the truth. Only the fact that he was the assassin hired to kill him was something that he hid from him for obvious reasons. _Only_ , Tao snorted inwardly.

“You know, when I watch them I can’t help but feel envious. It’s a bad thing, I know that. But I can’t turn off my feelings.” A small laugh escaped Sehun, the sound overridden by splashes of water as the dragons dove in and out of the river in one of their little games.

“I think that deep down, what people really want is to have someone who’s interested in them. To have someone that needs them.” The King looked over to where Junmyeon was patting Yifan’s back softly. “Interested in their life, their thoughts. Even the smallest things.” He shook his head. When his eyes met Tao’s for a second, he felt the need to explain himself. “I know that there are many people that are interested in my life. But I can’t help but wonder, are they interested in me or in the influence I have on them? I think there might be some other kind of interest. I don’t intend to judge but it makes me think.” Sehun paused again. “I know that there are people that have it worse than me. It feels arrogant when I speak my doubts like this out loud, but in my head they still feel right. Do you have someone that is interested in your life?”

Intense eyes were boring into Tao’s and the young man could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before he had to look away. “Someone that’s interest in me?” He avoided the question.

“Yes. Like Junmyeon and Yifan.” Averting his eyes, Sehun nodded into their direction. “Isn’t it obvious how they’re in love with each other. They’re so comfortable around each other, they work together in perfection. It’s like they have a special sense for each other that only they understand.”

Tao didn’t know what to say. There had been a longing in Sehun’s voice, he was sure of that, and Tao wasn’t sure how to explain that he’d never let someone close in his life before.

“I don’t think…” He started but then needed another moment to find the right words. “I don’t think I have someone like that. Maybe we’re alike in that sense. Still, I have to admit that I never really thought about it either though. But the way you describe it, it sounds… desirable.”

A soft laugh escaped Sehun. “Desirable? Yes, I think that’s a suitable word.” Ripples in the river distorted the reflection of the moon above their heads. “But it’s not something that can be forced. If it’s forced, it’s the way I don’t want it to be. I want someone to like me for who I am, not for my position. I want someone to like me as Sehun, not as the King. I’m not my reputation.”

And for the first time, Tao began to really understand what Sehun was trying to say. “I think I know what you mean.” His eyes wandered to Yifan and Junmyeon as well. The two of them had knelt down on the grass, watching the dragons play in the water. “The thought of being yourself around someone, around another person and that person still wanting you for exactly who you are is… I don’t know, I don’t think I have the right words for it.”

“Me neither.” Their hands accidently brushed together when Sehun took a small step closer. Tao’s cheeks heated up.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people that like you for who you are, Sehun.”

“Do you think so?” Their eyes met again. This time, Tao didn’t look away.

“Yes, I’m pretty sure.”

 

When they arrived back at the palace, Sehun offered to let Tao sleep in his bed again so he wouldn’t have to rest on the uncomfortable armchair. This time the decision to agree came a lot easier to Tao.

In the following morning, neither of the two said a word when they woke up with Sehun’s arm slung around the other’s waist. Only the faint redness in his cheeks gave away the King’s embarrassment as they hurriedly got dressed. A servant had informed them that the convoy of the Queen of Bihaeng had reached the gates of the city at sunrise.

As they walked through the long corridors of the palace of Mipung, a feeling of excitement grew in Sehun’s chest with every step.

“I guess now it’s finally time to begin with the negotiations.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shui = Chinese for water  
> Bo = Chinese for wave
> 
> What did you think about the dragon scene? And Kyungsoo's talk with Sehyun?  
> You can find a moodboard for Jongin [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1112774343883460609).
> 
> I would love it if you left a comment or Kudos, also I'd welcome it if you shared the fic with your friends! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you'll have a nice week! <3


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter! And if you don't celebrate Easter, just have a nice day.  
> I hope you'll enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Thanks to my beta reader Alex, you're amazing!<3

The welcoming of the Queen of Bihaeng didn’t go as smoothly as Sehun had planned.

After the initial greetings, the rulers of the seven kingdoms had gathered to have lunch in celebration of the arrival of the Queen. However, the mood wasn’t particularly welcoming.

Song Qian was an impressive woman. The moment she had stepped foot into the palace of Mipung, Sehun could already tell that getting on her bad side wasn’t something that he wanted to happen. Even though she did not exude animosities per se, her reluctance was palpable. That in itself wasn’t necessarily a problem, however, the way it affected the other rulers certainly was.

Due to several years of barely any contact to the kingdom of Bihaeng, everyone else was already wary of the Queen to begin with. Even though there weren’t any conflicts or actual issues that separated them, the rulers were less willing to gift the Queen their trust.

To Sehun’s surprise, even Chanyeol wasn’t his usual bright self as he greeted the Queen of Bihaeng. After all formalities were done, they finally settled at the large table that was already filled with all kinds of delicious foods.

In order to pay her his respects, Sehun had granted the Queen of Bihaeng the seat next to himself. While he was certainly not the most renowned King of their small group, he was the host of the negotiations after all.

“To a successful alliance!” Holding up his cup filled with wine, his eyes wandered over the group of rulers. Now that they had all gathered, it become even more apparent to him how different they all were. Not for the first time, Sehun felt doubts growing about his idea.

Across the room, his eyes spotted Tao. The guard was leaning against the wall, watching Sehun the whole time. When he sent him a smile, the young King returned it and then focused back on the task at hand: making conversation. If he didn’t believe in the alliance, who would? If he wanted to make it work, he couldn’t allow himself to have any doubts.

“I heard that you had a tough journey, Queen Qian. What happened to you on your way to Balam?” Sehun started an attempt at conversation.

The woman at side didn’t sound particularly interested in the conversation but at least she answered politely. “We were surprised by a storm in the kingdom of Bul” She explained, sending a glance at Chanyeol" “It wasn’t life-threatening but enough to stop us from arriving on time.”

“A storm? My country rarely has storms.”

“Well, there was one when we passed. Thankfully, we encountered merchants that sold us enough goods to make up for the ones that we lost. However, their price was quite high.”

“My people know how to make deals. It’s a way of survival.”

“Is it still a way of survival if the prices are inexplicably high? I doubt that any peasant could pay the price for wood that we had to pay.”

“A great merchant knows who to charge what price, Queen Qian.”

“Well, you arrived here in the end!”

“That’s right.”

For the rest of the meal, Sehun managed to keep up a conversation including all of the rulers. It wasn’t easy to find a topic that interested all of them but when he mentioned possible topics for the negotiation talks, all suddenly were open to discussion.

They decide to meet up again after a short break to catch some rest. At four in the afternoon, they’d meet again to outline the issues they’d like to discuss the following days. It seemed like everyone had already created a list of things they considered especially important, which Sehun was grateful for. Even though he tried to be considerate, it was already challenging to keep everything in mind that concerned his own kingdom. To his relief, he knew he could always rely on his brother and his ministers though.

Therefore, when the seven rulers found themselves in the large room he’d prepared for the negotiations to take place, it didn’t surprise him that everyone was accompanied by several advisors and ministers. His servants had already shown everyone where to sit so there wouldn’t be any trouble while finding their seats. Wisely, he’d made sure that Chanyeol wasn’t seated right next to the Queen of Eoleum. He had no interest in them causing a dispute because either Chanyeol felt too cold or Minseok got too hot due to each other’s presence. Therefore, he’d seated the delegation of Him between Eoleum and Bul. Next to Queen Minseok and her advisors sat Queen Junmyeon of Mul. Sehun knew about their comfortable relationship with each other and he could imagine them having similar interests based on his knowledge about their considerably similar environment and political structures. On Chanyeol’s other side, he’d seated the King of Beongae. The lively man looked comfortable seated next to Chanyeol and he didn’t seem put off by being placed next to the people of Bihaeng either who were seated on his other side. To finish it off, Sehun closed the circle by sitting between Bihaeng and Mul.

“I feel honoured to open the first day of negotiations. I have allowed myself to lead the discussion for now as I think it might be helpful to have someone who structures the conversation. If someone disagrees with that though, I’m willing to decide on a person by voting or choose a different approach.”

When no one seemed opposed, Sehun continued. “To use this opportunity of all of us meeting up like this, I assume that all of you agree with me that there are several topics to be discussed. But just to make sure we all have the same expectations, I want to know if everyone is willing to base these negotiations on the creation of a peace treaty that underlies all terms that we will agree on and serves as a base to all further talks.”

Once again, nobody seemed to disagree. Sehun was relieved.

“Alright, now that that is set, I would like to start collecting topics that all of us consider important. Based on those topics, we will structure the talks of the next few weeks. It’ll be easier to have a planned schedule than randomly addressing topics out of order.”

And just like that, everyone began to talk at the same time.

 

It took them awhile to figure out an order for who got to speak first but in the end they settled on starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, which was Sehun.

That, however, also meant that Bihaeng were the first to state their topics and conditions. The anticipation of all attendees was palpable when Queen Qian cleared her throat. It was the first time since the Kingdoms had been created that Bihaeng had even agreed to attend negotiations. Therefore, everyone was curious about what the Queen had to say.

“I, as the Queen of Bihaeng, will now speak to represent the will of my people and shall only act in their favour.” She began. All eyes were on her as she continued to talk. Sehun was sure that he would be able to hear a feather fall in the silence that filled the room as everyone anticipated her next words. “Therefore, I agree with the idea on signing a peace treaty. However, I will not accept it if it results in any disadvantages for the Kingdom of Bihaeng and its citizens. That includes economic sanctions, military sanctions and a possible loss of national values. Furthermore, I request the preservation of the borders and border controls. However, I am willing to consider useful suggesting for trade deals and military arrangements if they do not interfere with my standards and demands.”

Nobody dared to speak up for a moment, not sure if the Queen was done talking. When nothing more followed, Sehun decided to speak up. “Very well, Queen Qian. I am sure that we will be able to consider your demands well.” Next to him, his brother put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and Sehun couldn’t help but smile as he looked at the Queen of Eoleum who was the second oldest as far as he knew. “Queen Minseok, would you like to share your conditions with us?”

And like that, everyone began to state their demands. Most of them didn’t take Sehun by surprised. Together with his ministers, he’d spent quite a long time discussing possible demands and regulations the other rulers could request or suggest. Therefore, it didn’t catch him off-guard when Kyungsoo stated that he’d be willing to joining a peace treaty under the condition that he didn’t have to reduce the number of troops and disarm them. Sehun figured that maybe they could work on that aspect a little if Kyungsoo realized that it wouldn’t be unilateral disarmament, but for now everything sounded doable. Something that also had been expected by his advisors was the request of Mul to retrieve land that had been seized by Beongae centuries ago. The two kingdoms hadn’t been able to solve the dispute, so the negotiations were the perfect place to work out a solution both would agree to.

The only thing that was entirely unexpected was Chanyeol’s request. Based on how close they were, Sehun would have assumed that Chanyeol would mention serious requests to him beforehand but apparently, the King of Bul hadn’t deemed it important enough to discuss it with him prior to the official talks. So, when Chanyeol stated that he wished to establish neutral travel and trade routes through the kingdoms to further trade and facilitate travelling between the Kingdoms with possibly less restrictions while crossing borders. In general, Sehun was very impressed by the idea and considered it to be a really useful request, but at the same time he could see potential for arguments.

For now, no discussions broke out though, which seemed to surprise everyone. When Sehun ended the first day of talks after they’d settled on a schedule and structure what they were going to discuss in the following days, nobody seemed terribly put off by the negotiations.

And even though Sehun knew that the really tough part was only about to begin, he couldn’t help but feel at least a little more confident than he did that morning.

 

Later, when he stood at the window in his room and started into the sky, a sad smile spread on his lips as he watched two falcons circle in the air above the large trees.  _ “I just really want to make you proud, mother and father. I miss you.” _

He didn’t hear Tao entering the room behind him.

“Are you alright?”

The words made Sehun spun around in shock. He wasn’t sure how long Tao had been standing there but when he heard the door fall shut behind him, he realized that at least the other hadn’t heard him talking to himself.

“I’m alright. It was a long day. I feel optimistic about the negotiations, but I don’t want to take it too easy. Just because it’s alright at the moment doesn’t mean it’ll stay that way.” He stepped away from the window.

Tao nodded. “I understand. But from what I could tell, you did very well.” Tao had been surprised that he’d even been allowed in the room where the negotiations were held. He was neither an advisor nor a long-time acquaintance of the King, merely a bodyguard. Still, Sehun had been insistent for Tao to accompany him and nobody had doubted the King’s decision either.

“Thank you. You’re always so sweet to me.” Sehun met his eyes and quickly looked away again when Tao stared right back. There was something in his personal guards eyes that was drawing him in. At first, Sehun hadn’t really wanted to admit it to himself, but he felt drawn to Tao. The cloud of mystery that constantly seemed to surround him only added to his aura that was so appealing to him.

His eyes fell onto the package wrapped in cloth that a servant had brought in earlier. At first, Sehun had wondered what it was but when he’d pushed the fabric aside a little, a smile had spread on his face. Turning back to Tao, he stepped closer to the table to pick up the bundle of fabric.

“I'm really in your debt." He explained when Tao eyed the object in Sehun’s hands with slight interest. "Please open it. It was handcrafted for you."

"For me?” Tao asked. "But it's my job to protect you." In that moment, Tao felt like he didn’t deserve it. Even though it was true that it was his job, his real motive to be the King’s guard was to kill him after all. He didn’t deserve a present for deceiving Sehun but obviously, the other couldn’t really know that.

"Yes, it is. And I know you're my personal guard but it's just... I'm grateful." Sehun tried to explain himself in the meantime. He looked a little bashful, but his smile was genuine. When he handed it to him, their fingers brushed, and for a moment, Tao wondered why it felt like Sehun had done that on purpose.

As he unpacked the present wrapped in expensive fabric, he wondered what he should do with it. On one hand, it felt wrong to accept it. On the other, Sehun clearly wanted him to. The fabric revealed a beautifully crafted dagger and a matching ring, expensive jewels gleaming in the light as Tao stared at the two pieces.

"That’s’… I don’t know what to say, Sehun" Tao breathed as he weighed the dagger in his hand. It was perfectly balanced, obviously stemming from a magnificent smith that knew how to craft weaponry. He couldn’t deny the irony of his target gifting him a deadly weapon. In that moment, he just wished Sehun would never find out he’d be the one to kill him. However he’d do it, Tao was going to make sure that when he’d have to fulfil his final task, he’d do it in a way that wouldn’t let Sehun know that it was him.

Sehun’s soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Do you like it? I thought it might be fitting. Since you're my guard. You might need it." He was watching Tao closely, searching for any signs of dislike. In that case, he’d try to find something else he’d enjoy.

"I really like it." Focusing on the ring for once, he brushed his finger over the cool metal. When he slipped it on, he was surprised by how well it fit. “I don’t even know how to thank you."

The King seemed rather pleased with Tao’s reaction. "You don't have to because you deserve it. I'm glad you like it." Sehun smiled and sat down on the bed.

Just a few days ago, Tao would have flinched at the snake that now emerged from under the sheets and slithered up Sehun’s leg, but by now, he was used to all the animals hiding in Sehun’s room.

"There's always animals everywhere." Tao commented. He didn’t even notice how he was playing with the dagger absentmindedly. It felt like it was made for his hands and it moved easily. Sehun watched, fully enraptured, as Tao elegantly moved the blade.

Tearing his eyes away from Tao’s hand, he nodded. "I know, but it's comfortable." He laughed and picked up the snake, letting it slither over his arms until it had draped itself around his neck like a beautiful scarf

"Sehun, I think you need to find out who's trying to kill you." Tao suddenly blurted out. Just a second later, he regretted the outburst already. Because when the person that hired Tao was found out, his days were probably numbered as well. Still, he couldn’t help but hope that someone would find that person. Especially because of the other assassin who had targeted Sehun not too long ago.

The King seemed to be lost in thought for a moment but then he met his eyes again. The look in them was so vulnerable, Tao felt sick in his stomach for lying to him. It was a foreign feeling, something he hadn’t experienced in a long, long time.

"Of course.” Sehun paused.  “My brother is already investigating the case. He's a lot more capable concerning things like that." The uncertainty was still clear in his voice but Tao could tell Sehun was trying to pretend he was confident his brother was going to succeed in finding the person.

"Okay. I hope he'll find who it is soon. You're in a lot of danger. It worries you, right?" He asked quietly.

Sehun looked surprised for a moment but then looked away, cheeks reddening a little. “Is it that obvious?” He asked. “It is very scary. The thought of someone wanting to see you dead is- it’s very painful? There must be so much hate in that person to go that far. I can’t say I ever wanted to see someone dead. So it feels very… wrong to me.” He shook his head. His fingers had travelled up to the snake to pet over its scales softly. “I'm glad I have you. You make me feel safe.”

As soon as the words had left his lips, Sehun looked like he’d said something wrong. Standing up abruptly, the snake hissed in disgust as Sehun got off the bed. "Excuse me, I'll bathe now."

On the other side of the room, Tao had no idea what was going on. "Alright, Sehun. I’ll be here when you need me.”

Sehun, who’d been about to leave the room, turned around. There was an expression in his eyes that Tao couldn’t quite place.

“Thank you.” Sehun almost whispered and Tao almost didn’t catch what he was saying.

Oracle, who’d relaxed in a spot in front of the window where the last rays of sunshine were warming her fur, was slowly stretching on the ground.

Both Sehun and Tao watched as she got up on her large paws, striding towards Sehun.

"At the end of the day, I still have them..." Sehun broke the silence that had filled the room as they’d watched her.

"Animals are very pure and innocent. They don't lie or act differently to get what they want. It’s a very desirable lifestyle." Tao agreed with him.

"Yes... Sometimes I wish people were more like them. But at the same time, I have many great people around me so I shouldn’t complain. Anyways… I really should bathe now.”

With that, Sehun disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Tao behind with Oracle who was now brushing against his thigh with her head.

“You’re gonna watch over him, right?” Tao asked her quietly. As if she’d understood him, Oracle lifted her head and stared at him for a moment before she walked off to Sehun’s bed, graciously jumping on top of it and getting comfortable.

“I thought so.” Tao chuckled, more to himself though. Sending a last glance at the bathroom door, he got comfortable in one of the armchairs and began to examine the dagger again.

 

 

After the negotiations for the day had ended, Minseok and Luhan had retreated to their quarters quickly. As expected as her wife, Luhan had attended the negotiations together with Minseok as her closest advisor. Even though Luhan had been born of noble blood, she hadn’t been anywhere near the status possible marital partners for the ruler of Eoleum usually had to be. Still, when they had met at a dinner in the palace of Eoleum, Minseok hadn’t been able to take her eyes of the fragile looking woman.

 

_ “Princess Minseok, may I introduce you to the cousin of Duchess Tzuyu” Her mother had introduced the two. Back then, Minseok had still been princess but even then it had been clear that she’d be the heir of the throne as the oldest child of her parents. In Eoleum, gender didn’t pay a role in who was next in line for the throne. Nobody would have doubted Minseok’s abilities either way, but back then the quick-witted princess already knew that it was better to have legislation on her side. That’s why Minseok hadn’t put much thought into it when she had been introduced to Luhan back then. It had never occurred to her that she’d get to marry someone with such a low status, simply because the regulation didn’t intend that to happen, but still, she’d ended up falling for Luhan quicker than she could realize. _

_ Luhan had bowed to her deeply upon being introduced to the princess, but the look she’d given her spoke of less respect than her actions did. It wasn’t like she’d been impolite, but her obviously wandering eyes were something Minseok wasn’t used to. Of course, the princess knew of her good-looks, she even prided herself in them. However, usually nobody dared to eye her so openly, especially not someone of such low status compared to her. And maybe that had been the one thing that made her fall for Luhan. As proper as the princess seemed at first glance, Minseok loved to be challenged and the young woman in front of her seemed to be the best challenge in a long, long time. _

_ They’d spent the rest of the night talking and Minseok found out that Luhan had travelled the seven Kingdoms already even at her young age. The thing that surprised her the most was that Luhan had even been to Mannara, the country beyond the high mountains of Bukjokwhan of  Him and the rivers Amnok and Tuman. As the princess listened to Luhan’s stories about the foreign country behind the naturally drawn borders of water and rocks, Minseok couldn’t help but feel enraptured by the way the young woman spoke. _

_ That’s why she invited her to the palace again soon after the dinner, and the more time they spent together, the more she realized that Luhan, despite her low royal status, was the only person she could imagine at her side once she was Queen. _

_ The overnight stays of the petite woman had quickly become the talk of the castle but neither the princess nor Luhan could be bothered by the palace’s gossip. In the end, nobody was particularly surprised when Minseok declared her engagement with Luhan shortly after her coronation. Even though elders had warned her about the problems that came with being unable to conceive a heir without a male part, there was no legislation forbidding the Queen of Eoleum to wed a woman. Therefore, on the first anniversary of her coronation, Minseok took Luhan as her wife. _

 

Minseok watched as Luhan, lost in her thoughts, ate the small dinner they had ordered to their quarters. Even now, four years later, she was still so in love with Luhan that just looking at her filled her chest with a feeling of deep satisfaction.

“What did you think of the demands?” Luhan had noticed her staring.

Instead of immediately replying, Minseok thought about it for a while. Most of the ideas and demands hadn’t taken her by surprise. Just like everyone else, she’d anticipated Bihaeng’s requests and had almost been disappointed when they didn’t seem too extraordinary. After initiating barely any contact over several centuries, she’d expected the Queen to have a little more particular requests. Of course, it was to their own advantage, but at the same time Minseok couldn’t really trust her. Song Qian seemed like a very calculated woman who didn’t hesitate to do everything to secure an advantage for herself and her Kingdom. In that way, she wasn’t very unlike herself, Minseok thought.

“Most of the demands weren’t very surprising. Even though I hate to admit it, Chanyeol’s suggestion concerning the trade and travel routes sounds appealing. I don’t see myself travelling to Bul anytime soon, but for our merchants it would be a great advantage. The main issue here is Bihaeng’s reluctance to give up border restrictions. I feel like Kyungsoo seemed to agree with her in that point and Junmyeon appeared like an over-protective person too, so we’ll see how that goes.” She picked up the metal chopsticks and watched as Luhan filled her plate with vegetables and mushrooms. After she’d thanked her, she tasted the dish.

Balam’s cuisine was quite different to Eoleum’s, but that didn’t mean she disliked it by any means. Based on grains, beans, rice, vegetables and mushrooms, it was a healthy arrangement. Yet, Minseok missed the deliciously prepared fish dishes that were traditional in her country. To respect the King of Balam though, Minseok knew that it didn’t do any harm to not have it for the duration of the negotiations.

“You don’t trust Song Qian yet, do you?”

Of course, Luhan would have picked up on her distrust. She was the person that knew her best after all.

“You’re right, I don’t. First of all, there are still the rumours that she was behind the assassination attempt on Sehun. I know it might be just talk, but there’s always a little bit of truth behind a rumour. It is suspicious that they were absent when the assassination attempt happened. It would be the perfect excuse to distract from them. At the same time, the motive isn’t quite clear. If she wanted to sabotage the negotiations, why agree to attend? I doubt she’d be able to take us all out, especially in a foreign kingdom. There would be way better ways to do that. Still, I feel like she might have to do something with it. It’s a gut feeling.” Minseok picked up a mushroom with the chopsticks.

“I see. I don’t know, Minnie. She seems… rational, but not heartless. I feel like she truly cares for her people and she didn’t seem disinterested in what we had to say.”

One of Luhan’s qualities that Minseok highly appreciated was the fact that she never just agreed with what she had to say just to appease her. If she had a different opinion on something, Luhan would make sure to voice it out loud.

“That’s right. But exactly such a mindset can be dangerous. Someone that’s willing to do everything for the thing that’s dear to them might be the most dangerous kind of person there is. People that fight for something they love can be more relentless than the ones that fight something they hate.”

This time, it was Luhan who considered her response for a while. Silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable though, and Minseok watched as Luhan stirred her noodle soup.

“That’s right. But still, I don’t see any reason for her to kill Sehun. But the King’s brother seemed very invested in investigating the circumstances so I’m sure if there are any indicators to who planned it, he will find them. But let’s stop talking about the negotiations for now. How do you enjoy our stay so far? Isn’t Mipung a beautiful city? It’s a pity that leaving the palace became so dangerous after the assassination attempt. I would have liked to see more.”

“Maybe we can arrange something. It seemed like only Sehun was targeted after all. I’ll see to it that we can take a stroll through the city again during negotiations.” Minseok reached for her hand. As their fingers laced together, she could feel Luhan’s warmth seep into her colder skin. In the beginning of their relationship, Minseok had secretly worried that her lower body temperature would eventually put Luhan off. However, up until this day the other had never complained, and even though Minseok had never voiced her worries because she thought them to be stupid, Luhan always made sure to show her that she didn’t mind the difference in temperature with small signs of affection. So, when Luhan raised her hand to her lips and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, Minseok couldn’t help but fall for her again.

 

 

Outside the quarters of the Queen of Eoleum, Baekhyun and Chanyeol were just passing the corridor. Outside, the sky was beginning to turn from a beautiful shade of red into a dark, saturated blue already. But Chanyeol and Baekhyun were prepared: securely wrapped in a piece of fine fabric, Baekhyun was carrying a small light orb in his pocket. While he didn’t need the orb to create light, both Chanyeol and he had decided that Baekhyun’s ability didn’t have to be showcased publicly if there was no absolutely need for it.

As long as they were still inside the palace, they kept an appropriate distance from each other. The moment they stepped out of the palace into the gardens, now lit by only a few fire torches, Baekhyun slipped his smaller hand into Chanyeol’s large palm.

Still unused to the foreign feeling, heat rose in Baekhyun’s cheeks that didn’t stem from Chanyeol’s increased body temperature beside him.

“Do you think Sehun’s mad at me for not telling him about my suggestion concerning the trade routes?” Chanyeol broke the silence.

Baekhyun had been waiting for him to bring it up. During the negotiations, they’d both noticed Sehun’s confused expression when Chanyeol had brought it up. Still, he didn’t think Sehun was offended.

“I don’t think so. He was surprised, I’d say, but I don’t think he’s mad. It’s not like him to dwell on that.” Baekhyun honestly didn’t really want to talk about Sehun or the negotiations and just enjoy his time with Chanyeol, but it seemed important to him so he put up with it.

“Are you sure? He seemed… almost hurt.”

Baekhyun hated to see the worried expression on Chanyeol’s face. “Even if he’s a little angry about it now, I don’t think he’ll stay mad. You know him.”

They’d made it to one of the fountains in the garden and Chanyeol stopped in front of it, listening to the water cascading down the beautifully carved stone. “You’re right.” He replied eventually, glancing down at Baekhyun who’d stopped beside him.

With a glint in his eyes, Baekhyun stared right back. “I’m always right.”

Chanyeol couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I’m not so sure about that.” He nudged Baekhyun’s side softly but blushed when Baekhyun actually took his hand and laced their fingers together.

“Now, that’s offensive.” He said while looking up at Chanyeol still, never stopping staring up at Chanyeol. The intense look he was giving him made the King’s heartbeat pick up.

Chanyeol only managed a nervous chuckle. “Come on, don’t be like that.”

Baekhyun still didn’t look away, but they both knew he was just messing around with the King. “I’m just myself. I thought you liked that?” He teased, squeezing his hand gently.

“I do like it.” Came the instant reply from Chanyeol.

A pleased grin spread on Baekhyun’s lips. “Yes? Well, how much do you like it?”

There was no hesitation in Chanyeol’s voice, but his cheeks burned bright red as he replied. “I like it a lot.” Thankfully, it was almost fully dark outside now, the gently glowing light orb spreading soft light to them.

To Chanyeol’s surprise, Baekhyun stayed quiet for a moment. Staring at the fountain in front of them, it seemed like he was trying to figure out what to say. When the smaller man finally turned his head back towards Chanyeol, there was a challenging look in his eyes. “You should show me how much you like it.”

Gaping, Chanyeol didn’t know what to do at first. While Baekhyun continued to stare at him expectantly, a million thoughts rushed through his mind but all of them were forgotton when he leant in to gently press his lips to Baekhyun’s.

The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but when they pulled apart, they were both smiling.

“I was hoping you’d do that.” Baekhyun whispered and didn’t wait for Chanyeol to reply before he went in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some xiuhan, some chanbaek, taohun... What did you think of the chapter? Let me know in the comments!  
> You can find a moodboard for Luhan [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1119910581107032064)!


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while but let me tell you, I'm working on so much stuff at the moment but I can't talk about it cause a lot is for fests ugh. But anyways, I got VIP tickets for Monsta X and to celebrate this, have the next chapter of this! 
> 
> Warning! There's some heterosexual smut in this chapter so if that doesn't float your boat, just skip it pls.
> 
> Special shoutout to my beta reader Alex, you're my saviour.

"Would you like to take a walk?"

Sehun had been lounging on his bed after finishing the negotiations for the day. A week had passed since they’d begun negotiating and they’d all settled into a daily routine of negotiations. Every day, they’d start right after breakfast and work until lunch break. After that, they took a one hour break before they continued to discuss the terms of the treaty until the evening. The time they finished in the evening always varied, depending on how heated they were discussing the issue at hand. That day, they’d finished considerably early. All of them had needed a break and the moment Sehun had fallen onto his bed that afternoon, he’d drifted off to sleep.

Now, that he’d snoozed for a good three hours, he felt the need to get out of the palace. The whole week, he’d been holed up in the palace to discuss the treaty and he just really needed some fresh air.

Tao looked up from where he’d been reading a book Sehun had given him. Because he had to spend so much time with him during the negotiations, Sehun had given Tao access to his own personal library and Tao had found a book with mythical stories that had been collected over centuries. His favourite one so far was the one about a young siren that met a fisherman and followed him on land to search for him after the young fisherman was sent to war.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's going to get dark soon and there's still the uncleared assassination attempt." He asked Sehun, putting the book aside gently.

Sehun just pouted. "But you're with me, right?"

"I'm just one person." Tao pointed out but Sehun wasn’t having it.

"A really capable person." He grinned, already sitting up. He was shirtless, and not for the first time, Tao caught himself staring.

"Alright, we can go. But we shouldn't stay out for too long." He agreed to Sehun’s request. If Sehun wanted it, Tao had learned that it was rather hard to say no to him anyway. "Where were you planning on going anyway?"

Sehun just shrugged, looking around for something he could wear. During the negotiations, he tended to dress in official clothes but for the walk, he just wanted something comfortable. "It doesn't matter. I just have to get out of the palace walls for once and clear my head." He explained as he put on the shirt he had pulled from a shelf next to the chest where the dragon egg was still resting. "We can take Oracle with us if that makes you feel any better."

"That's a good idea."

With a satisfied grin, Sehun turned around to look at him again after he’d finished getting dressed. "Sometimes, I have those too."

 

As promised, Oracle joined them on their walk. They’d been walking for about twenty minutes when Sehun stopped in the middle of a clearing.

"It's so beautiful out here. I used to come here with my brother a lot when we were children." The King was just looking around, Tao following his line of sight with his eyes. The last rays of sunlight where shining through the tops of the trees and tinted everything on the clearing in a soft, golden light. Little white flowers littered the ground around the their feet, and with every step, Tao was afraid to crush them.

It didn’t surprise him that Sehun mentioned his brother. He talked about him a lot. "You seem very close with your brother. It must be nice to have someone you can rely on."

Sehun, who was still continuing his way to the middle of the clearing, nodded. A collection of rocks that were just the perfect size to sit on them where piled there, practically inviting them to settle down. After getting comfortable on one of the rocks, Sehun looked up at Tao who’d followed him.

"Yes, I think so too. He means so much to me, I'm thankful for every day he's by my side. To be honest, I'm not sure if I could manage being king without him being there for me. He's in charge of the army, something I was never fond of." A fond smile appeared on his lips, and Tao could tell it was genuine.

"So you don't like swordsmanship? You still gifted me a beautiful crafted dagger." He’d wondered about that before. As a King, Sehun would have to be a master of martial arts and weapons. However, he didn’t strike him to be the type that enjoyed to use such things.

Sehun’s laugh filled the warm air of the summer evening. "I can appreciate fine goods, Tao. And believe it or not, I'm quite talented in archery. Lately, I haven't had time to train but I used to practice almost every day. As a king, it is important to know how to fight for yourself, even if I don't enjoy fighting at all."

"What about swords?"

During the time he’d spent in the palace, Tao had heard quite a few rumours. One of them had got stuck in his mind, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. One night, just a few days ago after Sehun had fallen asleep, Tao had snuck out to head to the kitchen again to get himself something to eat. Sehun had allowed him to and it didn’t seem like there was an imminent threat to him at the time, so Tao had felt okay to leave him for a few minutes. As he’d waited in the door to the kitchen after telling on of the maids that worked in there, he’d picked up something very interesting about the young king that he didn’t know how to place. Just like it was the most normal thing, the maids had discussed something that seemed to be a recurring topic in the palace’s kitchen. When one of them had turned to him and asked  _ ‘has the King made any moves on you yet? You seem to be just his type.” _ Tao had just gaped at her. When he didn’t immediately reply, she realized he didn’t know what she was talking about.  _ “Rumour has it the young King prefers to play with swords rather than, well, the box of pandora.” _

"Swords?" Sehun gave him a funny look. Oracle had laid down in front of him and Sehun’s fingers were gently carding through her fur. "I know my way around swords in one way or the other. The size doesn't matter, it depends on the way you handle it." There was a challenging look in his eyes and Tao’s cheeks reddened. Not knowing what to reply, he knelt down in front of Oracle to pet her as well. When he found his voice again, he looked up to meet Sehun’s eyes again.

"I see. I would love to see you handle a sword some day, Sehun."

They maintained eye contact for a moment until Sehun looked away, eyes widening when they fell on something between the trees.

"Look at the swing over there. Soldiers put it up for me when I was a child. Let's rest there for a while." Jumping up, Sehun was already halfway there when he realized that Tao wasn’t actually following him. "We always talk about me. Doesn't it bore you?" There was genuine concern in the King’s voice.

"Not at all, Sehun. You're a very interesting person. Actually, I'm not sure if I've ever met anyone as interesting as you." It wasn’t a lie, but Tao still bad for saying it. Voicing out his thoughts felt wrong when he knew he had to act in a different way rather soon.

"You're so mysterious, Tao." Sehun sat down on the swing and laughed when Oracle brushed against his feet, her tail tickling his hand where he was holding on to the swing. "Why don't you tell me about yourself? I want to know more about you. Oracle is curious, too."

"I'm not that interesting..." The guard tried to brush it off. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to tell Sehun, he was just afraid of having to lie. For some reason, he didn’t want to tell Sehun lies. In his past, it had never bothered him when he had to lie, especially during jobs, but this time, he felt more and more uncomfortable as time passed.

"That's not true.” Sehun shook his head as if Tao had just said something terrible. “Let's start with what you did before you came here. Before you became a guard, I mean. How did my brother find you?" Two pairs of eyes were trained on Tao, one human, the other feline.

"I was a member of the royal army." Tao stated the obvious. He wasn’t sure how much he could tell Sehun before he revealed too much. If he said a single wrong thing, Sehun could begin to doubt his trust in him.

That wasn’t enough for Sehun. "But you have an accent. You're not from here. I've been wondering about that for a while."

"That's...  right. Before I joined the army, I didn't live in Mipung. I didn't even live in Balam, actually." Tao figured that he probably should’ve seen the question coming but he still didn’t feel prepared.

Sehun didn’t sound surprised about Tao not being from Balam. "So where did you live? Where were you born?" There was so much curiosity in his eyes, Tao somehow didn’t want to disappoint him. So he settled on the ground in front of him to get comfortable. This could probably take a while.

"That's the thing... I don't remember.” Tao began. “The earliest thing I can remember is living on the streets in a small village. One day, a man caught me stealing. I was four or five back then, I'm not sure. I don't even know when my birthday is, actually.” It looked like Sehun wanted to interrupt him right then but Tao kept talking. “I was alone, but people gave me food. It wasn't awful. The people of the village I lived in took care of me. Until one day, that man caught me as I wanted to steal a freshly steamed bun from his plate when he wasn’t looking." He had to smile at the memory. "I thought he was going to kill me. I stole from him after all. But instead, he took me in. That's the man that I call my father. He's not my real father but he's the one that came closest to it." In that sense, Tao couldn’t remember his life before meeting his father. It didn’t matter to him that they weren’t connected by blood, there bond had been a lot stronger than anything, that even when his father had taught him not to get attached, he was still his family.

"And what happened after that? Did you move in with him?" Both Sehun and Oracle were still staring at him and Tao didn’t doubt that Sehun would translate everything for the giant cat so she could understand too.

"He was on the way to another village and was just passing by. My father was a jack of all trades. He did every job someone offered him, and that's what I did when I was older as well."

Sehun nodded in understanding. “So, you did tasks people gave you? Like field work and things like that?”

Tao wished it had been that easy. “Yes, things like that.”

It had been a lot more than field work. What Tao hadn’t known when he was still a small child but had learned later rather quickly was that his father hadn’t only been hired for everyday tasks but also to do the dirty work. Stealing, kidnapping, killing, he did all of that. And Tao had learned from him well. For him as a child, it had been easy to steal. They started from there, and went on. Stealing food quickly turned into stealing jewellery. Stealing jewellery eventually turned into hurting people. Hurting people then turned into killing people. Tao wasn’t proud of it. He could still count the number of people he’d killed on his hands, but considering his age, Tao didn’t think of it as a small number. Assassinations hadn’t been the norm. Actually, when he’d still worked together with his father they’d mostly beat up people to scare them in the name of the person that hired them.

Only after his father had died, Tao had taken up bigger and more jobs to sustain his lifestyle.

“But why did you move away? Where did you meet him?” Sehun was latching onto every single word Tao told him, soaking it up as if it was the most interesting thing he’d ever heard. Tao felt a little flattered.

“The small village where I met my father was in Mannara. It was close to the border to Bihaeng. When I was ten, there was an angry customer that was unsatisfied with one of the jobs my father did for him so we had to leave the village. Because it was so close to the border, my father decided that it was time for us to move somewhere else entirely. So we left for Bihaeng. But we didn’t stay there for too long, only for about a year. Then we moved through the seven Kingdoms, doing jobs whenever we were needed.” The angry customer had almost killed his father for not managing to kill the person he’d been assigned to take out. When the man had found out, he’d threatened to kill Tao in return, so during the night, his father and Tao had left that place. He couldn’t really tell Sehun that though. This way, he felt like he wasn’t lying to him though, instead just leaving a little bit of the truth out.

Sehun, however, didn’t seem to question his story at all anyways. “And how come you stopped in Balam? And applied for the army?” He was softly swinging on the swing and for a moment, Tao felt like he was watching a fairy prince with his large pet panther having a moment in the forest.

“That’s… a whole different story.” Tao explained. “My father died when I was 17. We were staying in Eoleum at the time and had just finished working for someone. It was winter and we didn’t have a place to stay so we had to spend a night out in a hut. He got pneumonia and died from it just a week later. After that, I didn’t feel like staying in the country any longer and there was nothing holding me there.”

At that time, Tao had been so angry. Angry at the gods, at his father, at himself. In their line of business, Tao had always been sure that they’d die during one of the jobs. It was just one of the risks, they both knew about it. So for his father to die because of pneumonia had filled him with indescribable rage and sorrow. It was something that Tao felt like he could’ve avoided, and up until this day, he still wondered if he could’ve prevented his death somehow.

Sehun’s eyes had filled with empathy. “That’s- I’m so sorry for your loss, Tao. That must have been hard. He must have been a very important person to you.” His hand reached out and before Tao realized it, Sehun had closed his fingers around his wrist. The tips of his fingers were so soft, Tao wasn’t sure if he’d ever touched such soft fingers. Before he’d come to the palace, everyone’s fingers had been worn and rough. Never before he’d met someone with such soft skin on his hands, not roughed up from hours of hard labour.

With a smile, he looked up from where their hands were joined to meet Sehun’s eyes.

“He was. He made me who I am today. I learned everything from him. Without him, I’m sure I would have died as a child already. Even though life was tough, I am grateful for him taking me in.”

Sehun nodded. “So after that you headed to Balam? Why Balam?”

That was a good question. “Yes, exactly. I thought about going to Bul, because I like the temperature there. No matter what time of the year it is, it is just warmer than in the other kingdoms. But halfway on the way there, I received a new job that sent me to Balam. And that’s when I decided to stay.” It had been the first time he’d been hired to kill someone after his father had passed away. Tao had been nervous, but with his ability he always was an advantage. At the age of 10, Tao had realized that he’d been born with a gift. The ability to freeze time came in handy in his field of work and his father had always told him that he had been so lucky to meet Tao after they’d both figured out how to use Tao’s skill to their advantage.

“And do you like it here? Or do you want to leave again someday?” Sehun was still holding his hand and at this point Tao wasn’t sure if it was just to console him as he talked about his past. The kitchen worker’s words about Sehun’s preferences came rushing back into his mind.

“At the moment, I don’t really think about leaving. It is a beautiful country, the people are nice. The king seems very caring and interested in his people. What’s more to want?” Tao couldn’t help but chuckle. “But in the future, I don’t know yet. Just a while ago, I would have said that I can’t picture myself staying at one place for longer than a few years at a time. But I’ve been in Balam for a few years now and I’m enjoying it. But I’ll see what the future holds for me.” And if he really succeeded in killing Sehun even without someone finding out it was him, there was no question that he should leave Balam, at least for a while. Tao didn’t have a death wish and if this ever came to light, he would be a dead man for sure.

“Do you miss your father?” Sehun suddenly asked. As if he realized what he’d said just a second later, he quickly apologized. “I’m sorry if that’s a too personal question, I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s alright, Sehun. I’m just not used to talking about him. I don’t ever really talk about this. But yes, I do miss him. He’s pretty much all I had.” It was the first time he’d ever opened up to anybody about his father. Even though it wasn’t the whole story, Tao knew that he’d never told anybody besides his father this much about his personal life. There was something very scary about it, but on the other side, it felt freeing.

“Travelling around must have been hard for building up friendships.” Sehun hummed in understanding.

Tao snorted. “Yes, certainly. It didn’t really help when you’d move to the next city a few weeks or months later, already.” In addition to that, his father hadn’t really supported Tao establishing stable relationships with the people they met. Ever since he could remember, he’d taught Tao not to trust people since they were going to leave in the end either way. It would just endanger the success of their jobs, and they couldn’t risk that. To Tao, friendship and love had always been a burden until that point and he’d never missed it. Somehow, he had the feeling that lately that had changed a little though.

The sun had sunk down behind the trees, tinting everything in a deep orange that was slowly turning into a fiery red that reminded him of the King of Bul’s hair. The birds had stopped to chirp in the trees and Tao took it as a sign that it was time for them to head back to the palace.

“Maybe we should head back.” He sent Sehun a careful smile. Now that Sehun knew so much about him, Tao was surprised by how comfortable he still felt around him. Originally, he’d assumed that giving so much away about himself to another person would make him feel vulnerable. However, there was none of that uneasiness at all. Instead, Tao felt calm and weirdly at ease.

It was dark outside already when they finally made it back to the King’s chambers. Immediately, Oracle jumped on the bed and Tao expected Sehun to follow her, but instead the King stepped in front of him.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Tao. I- it feels good to learn more about you too. You have learned a lot about me already, but I barely knew anything about you.”

Tao felt weirdly touched. Sehun seemed genuinely interested in him and how he felt, it was something he wasn’t really used to. Overwhelmed by the situation, he didn’t know how to respond.

All of a sudden, Sehun reached up to cup Tao’s cheek gently. There was a look in Sehun’s eyes he couldn’t place and he was about to open his mouth to say something when Sehun stepped even closer. There was almost no space between them anymore and he could feel Sehun’s warm breath on his face.

“Tao, I-“ Sehun started but then a knock on the door made him turn his head. Time seemed to slow down when the door was pushed open and Sehun jumped back.

When a maid poked her head through the door, the moment was broken. With his heart still pounding in his chest, Tao stared at the maid expectantly.

“King Sehun, your brother wanted to talk to you but you weren’t there. He sent me out to ask you to his chambers.”

There was a faint blush on Sehun’s cheeks when he finally snapped out of his trance. “Uh, yes. Alright. I’ll come with you.”

And just like that, Sehun left Tao behind in his room with a billion questions in his head that needed to be answered but there was no one to help him solve them.

  
  
  


That night, Jongdae had invited Yixing over for dinner. To create a romantic atmosphere, Jongdae had bribed the kitchen maids of Balam to prepare a light late dinner for them and provide him with candles and beautiful flowers from the royal gardens. There was nothing a few gold coins couldn’t fix and nobody dared to say no to the cheeky King anyways.

When the healer from Mul stepped into Jongdae’s chambers, she knew what this could mean and where this could lead. Yixing wasn’t stupid. While she wasn't opposed to being close to this man, Yixing wasn't entirely sure if she was fit to be a Queen.

"Thank you for your invitation, King Jongdae.” Yixing smiled at the young King when he personally opened the door for her and let her step inside the quarters that had been assigned to him. When she’d come back from the negotiations with Junmyeon and Yifan earlier, she’d found a written letter by the King of Beongae inviting her over to his chambers in the evening for a dinner. The Queen of Mul hadn’t been too happy but in the end, one of Junmyeon’s servants had helped her getting ready. Dressed in a beautiful flowy dress that accentuated her feminine curves, Yixing knew she looked fantastic. Her hair flowed over her shoulder in elegant waves that accentuated the whole look.

The King really seemed to appreciate it too. "Yixing! You look... heavenly. I suddenly feel underdressed even as a king."

At this, Yixing couldn’t help but laugh. "You look very good as well, don't worry your highness. But I'm sure you’re aware of that."

Stepping past them, Yixing noticed with satisfaction that they were in fact all on their own. Not a single maid or guard was in the chambers, just the two of them.

As if he could read her mind, Jongdae stepped next to her. "We're in private, I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I really don't." Yixing didn’t flinch when Jongdae’s hand wrapped around her small waist, coming to rest on her hip. Turning her head, she caught him staring. "I was actually hoping that that would be the case." She breathed.

Cheeks heating up, Jongdae let out a breathy chuckle. "Well, it seems like I did everything right then."

After a moment of intense eye contact, Yixing decided to take a step towards the table. Jongdae let go of her just to pull back the chair so she could sit down.

"So, I think you promised wine, good food and even greater conversations?" She asked with a cheeky grin as she watched the King settling down at the table himself.

Pouring the two of them some wine, Jongdae pushed a full glass towards her. "Yes, of course. I mean, it's Balam cuisine but I would say it's rather fine. I would still love to show you typical foods from Jeongi." At the mention of his hometown, Jongdae’s eyes seemed to light up. "I hope you enjoy the set-up. I thought it was quite romantic.”

Soft light from the candles tinted the whole room into a warm and inviting light. Coupled with the flowers and the inviting smell of the food, it served to create a comfortable atmosphere.

"It does indeed. I didn't really take you for a romantic, but now that I think about it, it matches." Yixing placed her hand on the table and just a second later, it was covered by Jongdae. She couldn’t say she didn’t expect it. "You know, I remembered another reason why I loved your kingdom." Looking up, Yixing caught the king looking at her again.

"Really? Tell me?" Jongdae took a long sip from his cup. It was wine from Balam that Sehun provided for them but he had a bottle of a special beverage from Beongae called Euphoria waiting for later already.

"Unicorns." There was a playful glint in Yixing’s eyes and Jongdae laughed and looked like he was about to say something but Yixing wasn’t done yet. "They’re just such majestic animals. As I child, I thought they were just a myth until I heard about them actually living in your country.

“Ah, unicorns. It is certainly the one thing besides thunder that people associate with Beongae, even though my beautiful country has so much more to offer. But I understand the love for them. Unicorns are elegant and innocent creatures, some are so beautiful it almost hurts to look at the bright white colour of their coat. Did you know that I as the King of Beongae usually ride unicorn? I would have taken it with me, but it's pregnant at the moment. Have you ever ridden a unicorn?"

Yixing was absolutely in awe. "You ride a unicorn? And it's pregnant?" She whispered, eyes wide and cheeks flushed in excitement. "Well, I hope you like me enough to take me to your kingdom because there's no way I'm not meeting the baby unicorn."

Jongdae couldn’t help but laugh at that, squeezing her hand softly. "Yes, well... I was hoping for that anyway, however, I was hoping you'd come for me and not unicorns." He chuckled before letting go of her hand to fill their plates with food.

"I think we can make it a 50/50 deal." Yixing smiled. After Jongdae finished filling their plates, instead of eating the food herself Yixing picked up a piece of vegetable coated in a rich sauce and held it out for the King to take. There was no hesitation when he leaned in to take it from her, chewing first before he replied.

"I think I could take 50/50." He picked up a vegetable for her as well, feeding it to her. The way her lips parted around the chopsticks made him feel a little hot.

Conversation came easy to the two, and soon enough they’d cleared their plates and emptied their cups of wine. It was time for Jongdae to bring out Euphoria but Yixing’s next question made him hesitate before filling up their glasses with the expensive liquid.

"So... I was wondering, do you do this a lot? Wooing women like me?" Yixing was watching him, leaning back in her chair with an unreadable expression. She looked neither judgemental nor critical though so Jongdae relaxed a little again

"Well, I speak my mind. Whenever I encounter a truly beautiful woman, I tell her just that. However, I don't always pursue them, especially not the way I pursue you." There was a firmness in his voice that he hoped she would understand. Even though he was the King of the seven kingdoms that was known to be a flirt, Jongdae wasn’t easy.

"Does that mean I'm special?" Yixing asked. With her cheeks a pretty rosy colour from the wine they’d consumed, Jongdae couldn’t help but fall more and more for her.

Jongdae had started to fill up their glasses, but he looked when he spoke, stopping to pour the wine for a second. "Yes, you are." He openly admitted.

When he’d filled two glasses for them, he picked Yixing’s up and held it close to her lips. "Try it. It's magnificent."

Holding eye contact, Yixing leaned closer until her lips touched the metal of the cup. Before the liquid could touch her lips though, she spoke up. "Why is it called Euphoria?" She asked while its distinct smell of something fruity and earthy flooded her senses.

"The taste...  you'll know. It also gives you a very, let’s call it comfortable, feeling. It's close to drugs but at the same time entirely different." Jongdae explained. She still could pull away if she didn’t want to have it just know, but for some reason he already knew that Yixing wouldn’t think of declining.

And he was right.

"Now I'm curious." Yixing sent him a challenging look and parted her lips, waiting for him to tip the cup higher so the liquid would run into her waiting mouth. Her surprised moan at the delicious taste was a pleasant surprise to his ears.

"That's incredible! Your people surely have some incredible individual charms... Unicorns and this drink, and a very charming a King, too."

A pleased smirk had spread on Jongdae’s lips. "Well, what can I say... I have a lot to offer."

She took another sip before pulling away, running her tongue over her lips in a sensual way to catch all of the remaining liquid. A warm feeling had begun to settle in her gut and she was starting to feel a certain kind of excitement in her veins. The King of Beongae had tried to charm her so often by now, she wanted him to take the next step and Yixing hoped he would do it soon.

"Do you like it that much? I wonder... How you would react to other things." Jongdae’s eyes were glued to her lips and had been following the movement like a starved man.

"Let's just say I enjoy the good things in life as much as I can." She told him with a flirty smile, realizing that it was not only the wine making her feel fuzzy and warm in a very good way. The most impact on her was Jongdae, and the realization didn’t really surprise her either.

"Yixing, can I kiss you?" Jongdae’s softly spoken words were followed by a hand gently cupping her cheek.

"I don't know, can you?" She whispered, unable to resist teasing just a little bit.

Chuckling, Jongdae closed the distance between them to press their lips together.

Yixing’s response was immediate. Pressing closer, a hand came up to tangle in his hair to hold him in place. Speaking with her body came easily to her and right now, she wanted to show Jongdae very clearly how much she wanted this too.

Yixing ended up in his lap pretty quickly, chasing the taste of Euphoria on his lips. Kissing felt better than she remembered, but then again maybe she’d never kissed someone quite like the King of Beongae. His arms wrapped around her, Jongdae could feel her long hair brush against his face as they made out.

Passionate kisses quickly turned into butterfly kisses down her neck, Jongdae mapping out the unmarked skin with his lips. Yixing’s natural scent filled his nose and he couldn’t get enough of her, only the fabric holding him back from pressing soft kisses to her chest.

A melodious moan filled the air and Yixing bent her head to the side to grant him better access.

"You're so beautiful... The most beautiful woman I’ve met. I mean it." Jongdae mumbled and moved his hands up her body, kissing his way up again until he reached her collar bone.

"Really?" Came the breathed reply even though she knew the answer already. Jongdae’s voice had been filled with adoration and Yixing had appreciated it very much. She just kind of wanted him to say it again.

"Yes, the most beautiful. The moment I saw you I was drawn in by you." Pulling away from her neck, Jongdae met her eyes again before kissing her on the lips, his tongue slipping into her waiting mouth almost immediately.

"You were also injured and in a lot of pain." She said, her hands in his hair. The knowledge that she was doing this with a King was a little intimidating, but Jongdae made it easy for her to forget his status.

"Yes, I know. You really seemed like an angel in my time of despair. Now, you still seem like an angel, thankfully minus the despair, though." His lips had found her neck again, every word sending a shiver through her sensitive skin as his breath hit her neck.

"I'm not an angel.” Another breathy moan escaped her. “But I think I could be a good Queen."

"Really?" Jongdae wasn't sure himself what part he was referring to, he was interested in both. "I think so too." Exploring fingers had just found their way to her ass and Jongdae bit his lip at the plush feeling against his palms. However, there was way too much fabric separating them for his liking.

Easily lifting her up, Jongdae carried Yixing towards his bed and gently laid her down before climbing on top of her.

"As beautiful as your dress is, I'd prefer you without it right now." He breathed. There was enough space between them for her to stop him now, and Yixing was grateful that he was giving her the option.

However, she didn’t need it.

"Take it off then." She challenged him, looking up at him with a flirty grin before biting her lip. The King didn’t hesitate, immediately trailing his fingers everywhere where he could reach. In the matter of seconds, he had managed to get her out of the dress, leaving her entirely naked beneath him as she hadn’t worn anything underneath. Dresses like those weren’t made to wear underwear and Jongdae certainly didn’t look like he minded.

Instantly, his lips had found their way to her breasts. Kissing the soft flesh gently, Yixing let out a moan when his lips closed around one of her nipples to tease it lightly with his tongue. Pressing her legs together, her hand came up just to grab his hair again and hold him in place.

In the meantime, Jongdae’s fingers had found their way towards her waist. His fingers left trails of desire on her skin, the lower he moved the more gasps tumbled from her lips. Following his fingers, Jongdae moved lower with his head as he trailed kisses down her chest, past her stomach and even lower.

“Jongdae” Yixing moaned when he gently pushed her thighs apart, his hot breath hitting the sensitive skin of her thighs.

The first touch of his lips to her pussy took him by surprise. Her legs threatened to clamp together, but Jongdae was holding them apart so even when Yixing trembled, he had no problem to press soft kisses to where she wanted it most. It wasn’t enough though, and Yixing whined to try to show him that she needed more.

The first lick of his tongue made her keen. Back arching, Yixing let out a loud gasp when his tongue dove into her. There was no doubt Jongdae knew what he was doing and in a matter of seconds, he had reduced her to a moaning mess. With teasing licks to her clit in between, he made sure to rile her up before giving her time to cool down again before he began to heat it up again. When a long finger slipped into her beside his tongue, she let out the loudest moan just yet. By the time he had two fingers inside of her and scissored them, Yixing knew she would come soon. The stimulation on her clit from his tongue was bordering on the verge of being too much but Yixing thought it was entirely perfect.

Her hand was tangled in his blonde strands, holding him in place. It bothered her a little that Jongdae was still dressed, but he’d been so determined on making her feel good that when she’d attempted to tug on his clothes, he’d gently pushed her hands aside and whispered ‘ _ Just enjoy’ _ .

Beginning to pump his fingers in and out of her, Yixing began to wish that it was his cock instead. Just the thought of it brought her closer to the edge but she knew it would be a really bad idea,

It only took a few more flicks of his tongue until she was coming, riding out her high with loud moans while Jongdae continued to tease her until it got too much.

When he pulled away, his chin and lips were glistening and Jongdae looked rather pleased with himself. Yixing was smiling at him, blissed out and ready to return the favour.

Undressing the king took longer than taking off her clothes had. The royal robes had a few more layers that she had to get rid off but eventually, she had the King in front of her, naked, hard and leaking.

The thought of Jongdae becoming so aroused just from pleasuring her made her want to sink down on his cock right then but instead, she settled between his legs. Wetting her lips, she looked up at him as she reached out to take his cock into her hands, giving it a few experimental strokes.

With lidded eyes, Jongdae watched her, a soft gasp spilling from his lips when she bent down to press a kiss to the tip of his cock. “Let me return the favour.” She whispered.

It had been a while since she’d done this, but Yixing loved the weight of him against her tongue as she took him into her mouth. With every bob of her head, she tried to take in more off him. Her hands had settled on the shaft where she couldn’t reach.

At some point, Jongdae had to look away just when Yixing had started to press butterfly kisses all over his shaft because he didn’t want to end it too soon and the sight of her was just too overwhelming.

“God, Yixing.” He breathed when she did something with her tongue just underneath the head that made precome spill from the tip. With a smirk, Yixing lapped it up, moaning as if it was the best thing she’d ever tasted.

Letting his cock slip back between her mouth, she was surprised when Jongdae brushed her hair aside for her as she sucked him off. One of her hands was playing with his balls gently, pulling out another moan from the King when the tip of his cock met the back of her throat. Tears shot into her eyes but the sound Jongdae let out right then made her not want to pull away.

It took her by surprise when he spilled down her throat without much of a warning just a little later, but Yixing wasn’t mad. She sucked him through his orgasm, soaking up all the pretty noises he was letting out. Lapping up the last bits of come that had spilled from her lips, she laid down beside him to grab his hand and moved it between her legs where Jongdae could already feel her wetness before he really touched her.

After Jongdae had made her come a second time that night, this time just with his fingers, they both quickly cleaned up before cuddling up against each other in the large bed. After sharing another sweet kiss, it didn’t take long for them to fall asleep in each other’s arms.

 

 

The following morning, Jongin woke up in Kyungsoo’s arms. It didn’t happen often that the King of Him allowed him to stay in his bed until the next morning, but after Kyungsoo had fucked him into the mattress the previous night, the ruler had been in a strange mood and had allowed Jongin to stay.

 

_ “Do you still remember the first time we met?” Kyungsoo’s fingers were brushing through Jongin’s hair. The touch bordered on a softness Jongin wished the other would show more often but he was smart enough not to ask for it. _

_ “Of course I remember. I thought I was going to die.” Jongin snorted at the memory and cuddled a little closer. There was no way he was going to waste a single second when Kyungsoo was in the mood for affection, Jongin was going to take full advantage of it. _

_ “Really? I still recall the look on your face. You didn’t look scared, just… shocked.” The chuckle was audible in Kyungsoo’s voice. _

_ “Well, I walked right into the King in the hallway on my first day as a guard. That wasn’t really on my list of things to happen.” Just the memory of it made him cringe. _

_ Jongin, who’d been a newly assigned guard in the castle instead of in the troops on the field, had hurried down a hallway because he was late to his shift. Everything had gone wrong that day: First Jongin had arrived at the castle too late because a fire in the street where he lived had made him have to take a longer route. Then, one of the other guards had taken his helmet by accident and Jongin had to find another one to complete his armour. And lastly, he’d bumped right into the King of Him when the man had left his chambers to have breakfast. _

_ In a matter of seconds, Kyungsoo had had pinned Jongin to the wall, a hand around his throat. Kyungsoo, who’d thought that someone had tried to attack him, had been staring into Jongin’s eyes with such an intense stare Jongin swore he’d never seen on anybody. _

_ “You better have a really good explanation for this, or else I’ll…” The grip around Jongin’s throat had tightened and the young soldier had gasped for air as he tried to come up with something to excuse his behaviour. _

_ “Your highness, I- I was in a hurry and I didn’t see you, please- I’m so sorry, it won’t happen again! I’m incredibly sorry.” The words had spilled from Jongin’s lips in high speed but they seemed to do their job because Kyungsoo took away his hand from his throat. _

_ “I see.” There had been a hint of a chuckle in his voice, but back then Jongin hadn’t noticed that. All he could think about was hoping he wasn’t going to get fired, or even worse, beheaded. _

_ “I am really incredibly sorry your highness. How can I make it up to you?” The moment Kyungsoo had stepped away and Jongin could stand on his own again, he knelt down in front of Kyungsoo to beg for his forgiveness. _

_ Silence had filled the air for a few seconds as the King had considered his words. However, Jongin would have never expected what Kyungsoo had said next. _

_ “Come to my room when the sun has gone down tonight. I’m sure we can find a way how you can make it up to me.” _

_ And that was how Jongin had ended up heading to Kyungsoo’s quarter that same evening, nervous beyond belief and uncertain what to expect. That night, Kyungsoo had shown him exactly how Jongin could make up for bumping into him. Now, it wasn’t like the King had forced himself onto Jongin. It wasn’t like that at all. It was more like he’d offered Jongin an opportunity to make up for what he did and sleeping with the King was just one way of doing that. Kyungsoo had made it pretty clear right after Jongin had entered his chambers that he wouldn’t force Jongin to anything. At first, the soldier had been confused about the King’s intentions but then he’d quickly realized what he’d been aiming for. And quite frankly, Jongin hadn’t been opposed at all. The King of Him was a rather attractive man and Jongin had often found himself admiring him from afar. So, when the King offered him to join him in bed, Jongin hadn’t thought about it twice. And after that, it didn’t take long for it to become a routine. Nobody questioned it when a guard disappeared into the King’s chambers at night. Everybody knew about the King’s preferences as he was very clear about them. _

_ “You know, I’m kind of glad that happened.” Kyungsoo pulled Jongin out of his thoughts. _

_ Looking up where Kyungsoo was still carding his fingers through his hair, Jongin’s cheeks heated up and he didn’t know what to reply for a moment. “Me too.” _

_ Silence filled the air between them but Jongin didn’t think it was awkward. Instead, Jongin just got comfortable with his head on Kyungsoo’s chest and listened to his even heartbeat until he drifted off to sleep. _

 

Beside him, Kyungsoo was still sleeping soundly. His lips were slightly parted and he looked relaxed. There was no hint of the strength he exuded on a daily basis when he talked to others, no hints of the force that rested inside of the King of Him. Instead, he just looked  _ soft _ . Jongin caught himself almost reaching out to brush away an eyelash that was resting on Kyungsoo’s cheek but before he could even move, the King opened his eyes.

After a short moment of eye contact, Jongin couldn’t help but smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Kyungsoo’s voice sounded a little bit croaky, still heavy from sleep and Jongin notice the way his eyes blinked as he tried to adjust to the bright light that came through the large windows.

It was then that Jongin realized that along the way, he’d fallen for the King of Him and he wasn’t exactly sure how well that was going to end.

  
  


"You can't be serious."

The rulers of the seven kingdoms had assembled in the negotiation room once again. It was late in the afternoon of the same day already and the previous hours had been ridden from heated discussions and quite a few arguments. The mood was explosive and just a single sentence seemed to be able to make everything blow up.

"Why not? Your demands are just way too problematic. I'm sorry, but I won't accept it." Chanyeol was running a hand through his fiery red hair, an annoyed expression on his face. The whole day, they’d been discussing the treaty regulations concerning borders and border controls and they weren’t really making process at all.

The Queen of Bihaeng looked up from where she was scanning over a draft Sehun had created the day before. She didn’t agree with quite a few points but it turned out to be difficult to find a solution everyone was happy with. "What's your problem exactly?"

"My problem,  _ Queen Qian _ , is that your demand to keep up strict border controls is just a means to isolate your country and it makes our lives a lot harder. Without that stupid mindset, we could have continued with our schedule like three days ago." Chanyeol had stood up, leaning on the table with his forearms. The anger was clear in his voice and Baekhyun, who was sitting next to him, put a soothing hand on his shoulder just to pull it back again. Chanyeol’s body temperature was heating up again and it was getting to the point where it became painful to touch him.

Standing up as well, Queen Qian fixated Chanyeol. "King Chanyeol, I dare you to speak up again and you'll find out why it is better not to anger the Queen of Bihaeng." Her voice was laced with distaste for his behaviour.

Everyone in the room was holding their breath, waiting for Chanyeol’s response.

"What, are you gonna try and assassinate me like you did with Sehun?"

Gasps filled the air at Chanyeol’s words and Sehun was about to intervene when the sharp voice of Queen Qian filled the air. Everyone was staring at her, waiting for what she had to say. The topic of the assassination attempt hadn’t come up yet but all of them had been wondering about it. However, Sehun was insanely angry at Chanyeol for his careless behaviour.

"What are you talking about?" The Queen asked the King of Bul.

Chanyeol sneered. "Don't act like you don't know what we're talking about."

"King Chanyeol-" Sehun started but his friend interrupted him.

"Weren't you planning on addressing it, King Sehun? It is definitely something that we should have discussed way earlier." All eyes were suddenly turned on the young King and Sehun felt deceived by his friend. With burning cheeks, he was about to explain the situation when Queen Qian spoke up again.

"I'm afraid I can't follow your line of thought. Care to explain what assassination attempt we're talking about?" She asked, pointedly ignoring King Chanyeol and looking at Sehun instead. Sehun, however, didn’t have enough time to respond before Chanyeol started talking again.

"Before you arrived, delayed I may add, there was an assassination attempt on King Sehun." The King of Bul raised a brow, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"And you're saying that I had something to do with that? What would I gain from that? If I wanted to see him dead, I wouldn't travel to his palace after a failed attempt." Queen Qian had fixated Chanyeol again and her stare looked like she wanted to murder Chanyeol. Sehun couldn’t really blame her.

"Maybe you're trying to finish now what someone messed up back then." Chanyeol shrugged. The air around him was flimmering from the heat that permeated through his skin and everyone around him had taken a step away from him by now, even Baekhyun.

Queen Qian had taken a step away from the table, the draft for the treaty long forgotten on the table. As she spoke, her advisors already got up to their feet as well. "I can't believe- if this is what all of you think, I will leave this room right now and you can cancel your treaty."

And with that, she turned around on her heels and crossed the room with long strides, leaving behind the room in silence when the door fell shut behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like the chapter? Some progress with the ships, the first smut in this fic... I would love it if you guys told me your thoughts on it in the comments!  
> As usual, you can find a new moodboard, this time for Yixing, [here](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1127252560178552833)!  
> Thank you for reading, I appreciate it! <3


	14. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! This is my favourite chapter of the fic so far but I don't wanna give away why cause I don't want to spoiler too much. Just go on and find out yourself <3
> 
> Shoutout to Alex, my amazing beta reader! You always save my ass cause you put up with my writing that I scribble down at 12pm while I'm half asleep already...

"Queen Qian, wait!"

Sehun’s voice boomed through the long corridor that led away from the negotiation room. The moment the Queen had let the door fall shut behind her, Sehun had jumped up to follow her outside, leaving the room behind him in deafening silence.

Still hurrying down the hallway, the Queen didn’t even do as much as turn her head.

"Please, Queen Qian, I beg you." Despair was laced in Sehun’s voice but he wasn’t ashamed of it. Right now, the whole alliance was at stake and the weight of it rested on Sehun’s shoulders. Even though they were broad, there was only so much he could take until the pressure became too much.

Apparently, the tone of his voice had struck something inside of Queen Qian. While she still didn’t look any calmer than just a minute ago, it seemed like she was at least willing to hear what he had to say.

"What do you want from me? If you're running after me just to harass me and bad-mouth me like your friend did, you can save it, King Sehun. I knew from the start that coming here would be problematic, but I didn't expect to be accused of attempted murder." Her voice cut through the air with an eerie calmness. Right then, Sehun almost wished she’d yelled at him, it probably would’ve been easier to take.

"Queen Qian, it's just a misunderstanding... Really. I don't believe you were the one that tried to kill me." The chances that she’d believe him were low but he had to try at least.

The Queen raised a brow. "Then who do you think did it?"

Now, that was a question Sehun couldn’t easily answer.

"I... don't know." He admitted. There was no sense in lying, it would only lead to more problems if she realized he wasn’t saying the truth now.

"I see." Qian snorted and turned around on her heels, continuing her way with long strides.

"I'm being honest though.” Sehun called out as he began to walk again to keep up with her. “I don't believe you hired an assassin to get rid of me. I don't see any motive from your perspective. Maybe I am naive, but I believe in the good in people. You have never openly expressed hate towards me, so I don't see any reason for you wanting to get rid of me. It's just palace talk, gossip!" His voice rose with the last few words but Sehun had no time to feel ashamed.

Stopping in her tracks, Queen Qian came to an abrupt halt. "Yet, King Chanyeol sounded awfully convinced." She didn’t speak directly to Sehun, her head still directed at the empty hallway in front of them.

"Chanyeol... He can become quite hot-headed, to put it nicely. I am upset about his behaviour, but it's not unusual. Sometimes, he just..  explodes." Saying that he was upset about Chanyeol’s behaviour was an understatement but that was something he’d have to deal with later. For now, he had to focus solely on Qian.

Stoically staring straight ahead, Qian snorted. "I noticed."

"Please Queen Qian, don't give up our alliance just yet. I'll talk to Chanyeol. He'll apologize to you, I'm certain. But please don't quit yet. Our talks have only begun and so far we made a lot of progress, haven't we? I am convinced that we can finish this and form the first alliance of the seven kingdoms. You should think of your people, Queen Qian." If there was one thing Sehun believed that could convince her, it was the thought of her people.  "What would they want for their country?"

Silence fell upon them again. As the seconds ticked by, Sehun grew more and more nervous as he anticipated the Queen’s response. If he’d overstepped a boundary now, he wasn’t sure if he could ever fix this again.

"You're... Something else, King Sehun of Balam.” Qian’s voice broke through the quietness that seemed to suffocate Sehun. “I will consider your words, but I won't attend the negotiations tomorrow. I will let you know what I have decided as soon as I have recovered from these harsh accusations."

With a heavy weight lifted from his chest, Sehun finally felt like he was able to breath again.

"I understand." He nodded, unable to suppress the tiny, relieved smile on his lips. "The negotiations will be put on hold then. I do not want to continue without you. Every kingdom holds the same value in the negotiations, so I do not want to miss the wishes of the people of Bihaeng. I'll be awaiting your message then."

Turning her head around to finally grace him with a look, the Queen just nodded.

"Very well."

As he watched her leave, Sehun began to realize that maybe everything wasn’t lost just yet.

 

 

"What the hell were you thinking?" Sehun was pacing in Chanyeol’s chambers. The King of Bul had sent for him almost immediately after the group in the negotiation room had dispersed. Due to the talks being postponed for now, everyone had returned to their respective rooms. Nobody was in the mood for a shared dinner and Sehun couldn’t blame them.

The King of Bul was lounging in an armchair, watching Sehun cross the room over and over again with a strained expression.

"I was just saying what everybody was too afraid to say out loud." He stated, arms folded in front of his chest protectively. The air around Chanyeol was beginning to flicker again, a clear sign for both his body temperature and agitation rising.

Stopping halfway across the room, Sehun’s stare fixated on Chanyeol. "Are you nuts? You almost ruined everything. All the effort I put into this. Doesn't it matter to you?" Never before he’d argued with Chanyeol, but there was no way he could ignore what had happened earlier.

However, it became pretty clear that Chanyeol saw nothing wrong with his behaviour.

"Sehun, someone literally attempted to take your life and you act like it's nothing! Does it not bother you?"

Beginning to pace again, Sehun couldn’t trust his ears. "Of course it does, but right now I have more important matters to deal with. Important matters that you almost ruined." He shot back, his annoyance seeping through his words clearly.

"Because I care for you, Sehun!"

Sehun stopped right in front of him at that, his eyes boring into Chanyeol’s. Both Baekhyun and Tao had left the room at their request and Sehun was glad that nobody had to witness this. It was painful enough already as it was, he didn’t want to involve others in this mess. It seemed like Chanyeol really didn’t understand why he was so upset, and Sehun wondered if that was what hurt him most.

"Sometimes I'm less important than something else though, Chanyeol. We need this alliance. For years, no- centuries, our kingdoms lived in coexistence. Yes, coexistence. No wars, not yet at least, but no friendship either. So many wasted opportunities, so much potential for trade and friendship thrown away. This is important for the people of our kingdoms. And I'm just one of them. I don't matter more than my people just because there's royal blood running through my veins. And that's why I have to do this. I have to guarantee them the best life possible. And this alliance is the best way to secure that. Mannara is growing stronger. They expanded northwards up until now but it's only a matter of time until they head for us. And then we have to be strong, Chanyeol." Sehun took a deep breath as he met Chanyeol’s eyes again. "All of us can only do so much on our own. But together we're strong."

"Sehun-" Chanyeol started but Sehun didn’t want to listen.

If there was one thing that hurt him, it was his close friends not trying to preserve something that was precious to him. It wasn’t like he was over exaggerating, the imminent threat of Mannara had always been there. The large country bordering on Him and Bihaeng had mostly expanded northwards, but there was no guarantee that the country wouldn’t decide that it was time to expand southwards as well soon. In that case, Sehun wanted to be prepared, and that meant trying everything in his might to protect the people that trusted him. The best way he could do that was the alliance and Sehun wasn’t going to give it up without a fight.

Without sparing the King of Bul another glance, Sehun stepped away, his back turned towards Chanyeol. He didn’t want the other to see the angry tears prickling in his eyes and even though Chanyeol had seen him cry before, this time it felt different. His voice was surprisingly stable as he spoke.

"Save it, Chanyeol. I'm too angry now to listen to this. The negotiations are put on hold for now, I'll see you tomorrow."

The door fell shut behind him, and for once, Sehun didn’t feel better after talking to his friend.

 

 

Just an hour later, Sehun found himself lounging on his bed with Oracle resting her large, warm head on his lap. Long fingers carded through her fur as he let the events of the day pass through his mind.

_ "You're upset." _

Her words pulled him out of his thoughts and his eyes fell down to find her staring at him.

"Oracle, it's okay, it was just a rough day." He tried to brush it off even though he already knew it was in vain.

Oracle’s senses certainly didn’t disappoint.

_ "You smell very upset." _ The huge feline stretched out a little, pawing at Sehun’s stomach softly.

"Oracle- alright." For a second, Sehun had considered brushing it off but from experience Sehun knew that sometimes, it felt good to have somebody to talk to about the things that bugged you even though you’d rather just ignore the issue.

"Chanyeol made me very angry today and I'm scared the negotiations will come to a sudden end." He explained, just the thought of the last part of the sentence sending a wave of anxiety through him.

Instantly, Sehun could see the change in Oracle’s eyes, worry clouding them. He certainly didn’t understand the people that believed that animals did not understand or feel emotions.

_ "What happened?" _ She asked, her ears twitching as Sehun reached out to scratch at their base while he began to explain the whole story to her.

By the time he’d finished, Oracle looked more than just a little agitated. " _ Your friend is stupid." _

A soft huff escaped Sehun. "I know he was just trying to help me, or rather defend me, but it was just so extremely careless. I don't understand how he couldn't control himself. He should've known better."

The thing was, Sehun knew Chanyeol. He knew him so well that he knew that such outbursts weren’t necessarily unnormal for his friend. Still, he was certain that none of his hot-headed arguments had ever had such serious implications. Therefore, as much as he wanted everything for them to be okay again, he needed to make him understand that things like these weren’t okay. Also, he still couldn’t believe that Chanyeol obviously hadn’t grasped the importance of their peace talks. It made Sehun wonder how the other rulers truly felt about the negotiations.

Oracle seemed to sense his growing discomfort as he got lost in his thoughts again.  _ "It will be okay though. You talked to the Queen of Bihaeng. She'll calm down." _ She nudged him softly with her head this time, an indirect order to scratch her ears again. Sehun obliged happily.

"I wish you were right, Oracle, and I wish it was that easy." He sighed, eyes staring out of the window without focusing on anything at all.

The large cat didn’t seem to be satisfied with that answer though. " _ Can I distract you somehow? _ ”

"Just having you here is enough already." It wasn’t even a lie, just having her around made Sehun calm down instantly. Of course, he was still upset, but that wasn’t something that would stop in the next few minutes no matter what he did.

Before Oracle could say or do something else, the door to Sehun’s chambers opened. Both looked up just to find Tao entering the room, getting comfortable on the armchair next to the window. The guard had left the room to use the bathroom a few minutes ago but how he was back and Sehun couldn’t help but stare as the man stretched, his shirt riding up a little to reveal toned muscles. A faint blush crept on Sehun’s cheeks.

" _ Oh, the other human... You like him _ ." Oracle averted her eyes from Tao to look at him instead. Sehun swore if panthers could smirk, she was.

"What are you talking about?" Sehun whispered, keen on not letting Tao hear anything from this conversation. That could quickly become very embarrassing.

Oracle, however, insisted. " _ You stare at him a lot _ ."

"I don't stare." Sehun subtly shook his head.

Letting out a breath almost as if she sighed, Oracle planted her head in his lap again. " _ You do. Just now when he entered the room you were staring. _ "

There was no denying that but Sehun still tried to brush it off.

"I was just checking who it was."

Oracle just sent him a meaningful look. Much to Sehun’s relief, Tao interrupted the conversation that he didn’t even know was going on.

"Are you alright?" Without them noticing, Tao had apparently gotten up from where he’d been seated in the armchair. Right now, he was slightly bent over to examine the chest that carried the dragon egg but looked up when he spoke to Sehun.

The blush had returned to his cheeks as soon as Tao’s intense stare landed on him. "It's manageable.”  Sehun eventually got out. “I'm still very angry at Chanyeol. He put everything at stake for nothing at all."

With a hum, Tao straightened up again, another sliver of skin revealed as he moved. Sehun couldn’t look away. "I'm sure he only meant well. And he is right, I think the lack of news concerning the person behind the assassination attempt is worrying the other rulers."

Just the mention of the assassination attempt made Sehun’s guts churn anew.

"I know that. But still... He's so hot-headed. I don't feel like talking to him. It may be childish, but I can't help it." It wasn’t easy to admit that but it helped him reflect the situation.

Noticing his obvious discomfort at the topic, Oracle chimed in again. " _ It's okay, I'm sure it'll be okay. The Queen of Bihaeng looks intimidating but she doesn't smell dangerous. And you know that you can trust me _ ." Her large, dark eyes fixated Sehun again.

With a smile, he ran his fingers over her head, enjoying the softness against the pads of his fingers. "Of course I know, Oracle. Sometimes I feel like you're the only one I can really trust." There was a sadness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

" _ Are you sure? Lately you've been spending an awful lot of time with your new guard _ ." Oracle pointed out to him as her tail swished from one side of the bed to the other to annoy a few of the tiny birds that had just landed there, their quiet chirping interrupting their conversation. Sehun hadn’t minded, but Oracle certainly had.

"What about it?" He asked, his head slightly tilted. Across the room, Tao had settled in the armchair again, watching the birds that had relocated to the table in front of him instead so they kept a safe distance between the panther and them.

" _ I see the way you're looking at him _ ."

Sehun looked away from Tao, as he searched for something to say, something that wouldn’t end in embarrassment and stuttering. It didn’t quite work out.

"I'm not... It's not like that." He mumbled, a hand running through his hair as he pushed it back with a fluid motion.

" _ He's looking at you too, you know? _ "

That caught Sehun’s attention.

"He is?"

They both turned their heads towards Tao who was currently holding out a finger to see if one of the birds would jump on it. For now, they seemed mildly interested but still a little shy. Sehun could faintly hear their nervous chatter.

" _ See, you're interested in that. You're definitely liking him a little more than you let on. _ " The huge cat suddenly lifted herself up, coming to a standing position on his bed so that she was towering above him. To him, she still looked adorable though.

"Maybe..." He trailed off, watching as she jumped off the bed in an elegant move. It seemed like their little cuddle session was over, but Sehun didn’t mind too much. It was getting late, and maybe that meant that Tao would join him in bed again soon.

" _ Will you do something about it? _ " Oracle asked, her tail brushing Sehun’s leg softly.

That was actually a pretty good question.

"I don't know..." Sehun admitted. "It's just that I feel like he doesn't care about who I am? I'm just Sehun. I'm not the King of Balam when he's around. I'm just myself and that seems to be enough already."

The next day, Queen Qian still hadn’t informed Sehun about her decision whether to continue the peace talks or if she actually wanted to abandon the negotiations. For Sehun, it was a little tough to guess if that was actually a good or bad thing. Yet, he liked to believe that the fact that she needed more time to think about it meant that she actually had a personal interest in the alliance.

Due to the negotiations not taking place though, the rulers of the seven kingdoms had more free time at hand than they’d expected.

 

 

It was lunch time when Sehun received a message from the Queen of Mul.

In the message, she asked Sehun if he was interested in letting her and the dragon tamer check the egg if it was ready for hatching already. A bit of time had passed and the chances of the egg being ready and just needing a little help didn’t seem very unlikely, at least based on the Queen’s message to him.

Therefore, a group of four found themselves in Sehun’s chambers, standing around the beautifully crafted chest that contained the dragon egg. Together with Junmyeon and Yifan, Tao was also by his side as they opened the chest. With practiced moves, Yifan lifted up the scaly egg and examined it closely, holding it into the bright light of the midday sun.

“I think it is ready.”

The declaration made all of them still, three pairs of eyes focused on the dragon tamer.

“There are miniature cracks in the shell, you can see it if you look at it in the light. The dragon might have already tried to hatch, but without a light source, it’s a lot harder for it. Therefore, we should just leave it in the sun for a while and watch what happens. If it doesn’t hatch on its own in the timespan of an hour, we could resort to an artificial light source.”

“Like fire?” Sehun asked, not sure what else he had to offer.

“For example.” Yifan nodded as he placed the egg on a pillow Tao had quickly grabbed from the bed so they could rest the egg on it safely.

Silence fell over the room as they just stared at the egg for a moment, waiting for something to happen.

After about a minute or so, they all realized that this might take a while. Therefore, Sehun offered his guests a seat and they settled around the table, the egg right in front of them so they wouldn’t miss any changes.

“King Sehun, have you ever heard the story of how the world was created?” Junmyeon asked Sehun while a maid filled their cups with steaming hot tea. “The people of Mul have their very own legend for the creation of our beautiful world.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, but I would love to learn about it.” There was no need for him to fake interest, because that sounded like a genuinely interesting topic. Stories of long-forgotten times had always fascinated Sehun and he’d read through almost every book in the palace’s library that contained legends of how the world was created and how magic came to earth.

“I shall tell you about it then.” Junmyeon sent him a soft smile while leaning back into her chair. Sehun was starting to get the feeling that it was going to be a long story, but they had enough time after all.

“I’m curious to listen.”

And just like that, Junmyeon began to talk.

 

“At the beginning of time, two dragons lived in the realms of the sky. They were like day and night, one white, with a golden shimmer to its scales, and the other jet black, a colour so dark that if any human were to look at it you’d feel as if it swallowed you whole. Those two dragons were called Tian (day) and Yè (night).

Every day, they would play with the stars in the sky, tossing them around like the marbles we all used to play with as children.

During one of those games, Tian and Yé tossed two stars against each other by accident. They both had wanted to initiate a game and had thrown a star towards the other but instead of reaching their target, the two stars collided.

Upon meeting, one of the stars - the smaller one that Tian had chosen - burst into a thousand tiny pieces. Now that they were separated from the core of the star that was still intact, the pieces had lost all their magic and fell into the darkness beneath the clouds.

You have to know, the space beneath the clouds was a place neither Tian nor Yé had ever ventured too. Ever since they could remember existing, they had never felt the desire to look beyond the clouds into the darkness that lay beneath them.

Now, however, that the thousand pieces of the broken star had fallen through the clouds into the nothingness, the two dragon’s became curious.

Dropping the two stars that they’d been playing with, the two dragon’s decided to finally take a peek at what laid beneath the clouds they had been living on for their whole life.

For the first time, they would leave the safe confines of what they knew. That day would mark the day of the creation of our world as we know it.

As they sank through the layer of clouds, the two dragons realized that there was no end to the space that laid beneath them. The broken pieces of the star were floating in the space as if invisible strings were attached to them, holding them in place. Quickly, the two realized that one of the pieces was bigger than the others. It seemed like a large part had broken out of the star, but in contrast to the latter, this piece was cold and dark, no sign of life to it.

The dragons didn’t like the thought of that. Compared to the realm above the clouds, this one was dark and empty. It felt uncomfortable, foreign. Too little light, not enough warmth.

In the spur of the moment, the dragons decided that they wanted to change that. Who said that only the realm above the clouds could have colour and light and warmth?

And like that, Tian decided to breath life into the piece of the broken star, the fiery breath filled with ancient magic engulfing the whole rock. But Tian didn’t stop in time, and a blinding light filled the realm beneath the clouds, filling every crook of the endless space with light. However, it was too bright, and they couldn’t open their eyes anymore, so Yè knew that he had to act. With another breath of magic, this time coming from Yè, the dragon overpowered the blinding light.

When they opened their eyes again, the space was filled with darkness again except for one of the rocks, an even larger one than the one they’d originally spotted. It seemed like the light was consuming the former star fragment from the inside, eating up it’s old energy and filling it with a new power, so strong and foreign the dragon’s couldn’t tear their eyes away.

Just like that, the sun had been created.

But the two dragons weren’t done yet.

They quickly realized that the large, shining star fragment illuminated the smaller rocks around it. A sheen of magic surrounded the one that they’d breathed life into, but they weren’t satisfied with it just yet. This time, Tian was a lot more careful while blowing a soft gaze of magic fire onto the rock, watching it seep through the dark stone.

But even after a few moments, nothing seemed to happen.

Discouraged, the dragons decided to head back to the realm above the clouds. Days passed, and the dragons didn’t return to the place beneath the clouds again, instead continuing their game of playing with the stars. And just like that, they forgot about the realm that they had created beneath the thick layer of clouds.

Centuries went by, until one day they remembered the small fragments of the stars again. They’d been playing again, two stars missing each other by just a millimetre, and the dragon’s realized that they had never checked on the realm again.

Excited, they descended through the clouds to take a look at the scene they’d left years ago. To their surprise, they found that the small fragment of the star had flourished. What once had been cold and grey was now green and blue, a small pulse of magic seeming to come off from the orb as they watched it with amazement in their eyes.

Awed by their creation, Tian and Yé decided to give the star fragment a named. This was how our world received its name Earth. However, Tian and Yé weren’t done yet. In the spur of the moment, they gifted earth a small piece of their powers, the power of light and the power of darkness. Like this, they created day and night.

From time to time, Tian and Yè are said to still come down from the realms above the sky to watch their creation.

And if you’re lucky, you can witness the games of the two dragons as they toy with the stars when you see a shooting star in the sky. Whenever you see one, it just means that Tian and Yé are still playing their eternal game, even after all this time.”

 

Stunned silence fell upon them. All three had listened to her with undivided attention. Her smooth voice had felt so soothing as she told the story, painting pictures in their minds with just her words. From now on, Sehun would always think of Tian and Yè whenever he looked at the sky and saw a shooting star by chance.

Without intending to, their eyes all landed on the dragon egg in front of him. Reminded of the legend, Sehun was once more amazed that such a divine creature was about to be born from such fragile shells. It blew his mind that soon a dragon would be living with him.

“The story was beautiful.” It was Tao who spoke up first, surprising all of them. Actually, even Tao looked surprised. It felt as if he hadn’t even wanted to say that out loud apparently.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I am always happy to share the beliefs of my people.” Junmyeon sent the guard a gentle smile. “And the thought of dragon’s breathing life into earth and humanity is a beautiful thought, isn’t it?”

“It certainly is.” Tao nodded, still staring at the egg.

Just by looking at the surface of the scaly shell, it didn’t look like the hatching process had made any progress while Junmyeon had told them the story. Looking to his left, Yifan seemed to have come to the same conclusion.

“I think we need a stronger light source.” He declared, already looking around the room for a suitable spot.

“I can make a fire.”Tao provided helpfully.

Sehun, however, stared at the orb Chanyeol had gifted him upon his arrival. Even though he was still angry at his friend, in that moment he was incredibly happy about the gift that he’d received not to long ago.

The light orb sat on a beautiful wooden drawer just across the room. With quick strides, Sehun reached it and took it into his palms with care, the weight of it surprising him once again. As soon as the sphere touched his fingers, the magic inside seemed to awaken. With every passing second, the glow seemed to intensify until a warm but strong light was emitted from the sphere.

All eyes had been on Sehun as he’d crossed the room and picked up the light orb. At first, none of the remaining three had understood what he’d been doing but when the orb began to glow, their faces lit up in understanding.

“This is a light orb from Bul if I’m not mistaken?” Junmyeon asked, stepping closer to exam the orb. “I’ve heard about them multiple times. Apparently, they were invented to light up the dark ochre and coal mines of Bul. With fire, there was always the danger of explosions so one family that was able to wield light began to manufacture the orbs.”

As far as Sehun knew, that family could only be Baekhyun’s family. After being gifted the light orb, he’d intended to do research on them but the past weeks had been way too busy for him to disappear into the library and read up light orbs. Also, he hadn’t expected to find a use for it so quickly either.

“This should serve as a proper light source, right? It is a light orb, just as Queen Junmyeon already said. The King of Bul gifted it to me.” He explained as he walked over to the table to place it next to the egg. In the glow of the orb, the scales of the egg gleamed even more beautifully.

“This is perfect. It’s even better than fire.” Yifan nodded.

With rapt attention, the small group focused on the egg again. So far, nothing had seemed to have changed though.

Still holding on to the orb, Sehun remembered Chanyeol saying something about the intensity of the orb intensifying the more magic the holder possessed. “Queen Junmyeon, if you touched the orb we might be able to make it even brighter. It reacts to ancient magic.”

“It does? I shall try then.” Without hesitation, Junmyeon touched the warm surface of the orb. Instantly, the glow seemed to become even brighter and Yifan sucked in a harsh breath when a tiny crack could be heard.

“Did you all hear that?” He asked, leaning forward to examine the egg when another cracking sound filled their ears.

In a matter of seconds, the miniature fractures on the shell seemed to deepen. Suddenly, a piece broke off from the shell, falling onto the table underneath it.

From inside the egg, a low glow seemed to pulsate, much like the egg shell had done itself. Another piece broke, and slowly but surely, a hole formed in the surface of the egg.

With breathes held, the four of them watched as the tiny head of a baby dragon poked its snout of the hole, followed by the whole head and then a part of its neck. Deep green eyes landed on Sehun, and the dragon opened its little mouth. Instead of a sound though, a small gust of magical fire escaped it but the baby dragon seemed as surprised about that as the others watching him.

_ “Mommy.” _

The tiny dragon was still staring at Sehun as it tried to peel itself out of the egg, more and more of it breaking apart as the long, slim body slithered outside. Floating in the air, the dragon repeated the words again that had instantly filled Sehun’s head.

_ “Mommy.” _

“Um… hey. I’m Sehun.” He tried to explain to the little dragon. “It’s nice to meet you. You can understand me, right?”

_ “You’re my mommy.” _

With big eyes, Sehun turned towards Yifan. “It says I’m its mommy.”

Beside him, a snort escaped Tao that he quickly tried to cover up with a cough. Sehun couldn’t blame him. Being called mommy by a baby dragon that they had just hatched with a light orb was something that he certainly hadn’t expected.

“It did?” Yifan still seemed to be amazed by the little creature and Sehun’s ability to understand what it was saying. “Sometimes, dragons imprint on the first person they see. It doesn’t happen very often, but it has happened before. Apparently, this one has imprinted on you.”

“A baby dragon imprinted on me?” Sehun asked. Stretching his hand out carefully, he offered his palm to the dragon that probably curled around his arm and rested his head on Sehun’s skin.

_ “You’re warm… mommy I’m hungry.” _

“This is… You really must have left an impression on it.” Yifan sounded almost jealous.

“Sehun is very good with animals. And with dragons, apparently.” Tao chimed in again. “Apparently they know they can trust him.”

Sehun’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, and he sent his guard a quick smile that Tao returned with one of his own. Sehun’s heart fluttered.

“It says it’s hungry. What do I feed it?” Sehun looked over at Yifan. Only now he realized how tiny Queen Junmyeon looked next to him. They looked kind of cute together.

“You can feed it worms and bugs. It will grow quickly, soon it’ll be able to hunt its food on its own.”

Yifan’s words sent a wave of relieve through him. On top of alliance negotiations, looking after a baby dragon 24/7 sounded a lot more exhausting than he’d originally put it out to be.

“Alright, that sounds manageable” Sehun mumbled, his thumb softly stroking over the soft scales on the dragon’s tiny back.

“If you need help with it, we’re here. Yifan is an expert and we’re both curious to see how the dragon grows up.” Junmyeon explained and Sehun knew that she really meant it too.

And even with the negotiations on hold at the moment, looking at the Queen of Mul, her dragon tamer and his own personal guard, it seemed like some relationships seemed to have improved at least.

 

 

On the other hand, one relationship still hadn’t improved at all. In his chambers, the King of Bul was pacing up and down, the air around him simmering with the heat to the point where it flickered.

Baekhyun, who was lounging on the large bed not unlike Sehun’s was sending him worried looks.

“Chanyeol, you need to calm down.” He said for the third time, and yet, Chanyeol definitely hadn’t calmed down one bit. It wasn’t like Baekhyun didn’t know that the other wasn’t going to magically feel fine after being told to calm down, but he honestly didn’t know what else he was supposed to do. From years of experience of dealing with Chanyeol and his moods, he knew that the other tended to get carried away in his thoughts and often worked himself into a frenzy.

“I am calm.”

They both knew it was a blatant lie but Chanyeol still had the audacity to meet his eyes.

Baekhyun, however, stared right back. “You’re literally making the water steam.” With his fingers pointing to the glass that Chanyeol was carrying as he paced through the room, Chanyeol’s eyes flitted down to where steam was rising up from the glass, his mere body heat making the water boil.

For the first time that evening, uncertainty found its way into Chanyeol’s voice. “That’s- maybe you’re right. But I can’t help it.” The King stared at the glass of water in his hands that was slowly evaporating into thin air, leaving the originally full glass with only about three quarters of its original content.

Sitting up so he could properly look at Chanyeol, Baekhyun wished he could pull him into a hug. God knew he probably needed it. Yet, with Chanyeol’s current body temperature that high sounded like an extremely stupid idea.

“I know this whole argument with Sehun upset you.” He explained, his head supported by his arms as he watched Chanyeol come to a standstill right in front of the bed. Even from the distance, Baekhyun could feel the heat coming off of him. “But you need to calm down. There’s no use in brooding, he’ll eventually calm down too. Let’s be real, you’re most upset because you know he’s right.”

A short hint of pain flashed over Chanyeol’s face before it went back to its stoic expression.

“Of course I know he’s right! I just wasn’t thinking. And now he’s angry, which is understandable, but he didn’t react to my message either.” With a pout on his lips, Chanyeol stared at the ground. Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was in shame or in annoyance. Possibly both.

“Just give him another day, Chanyeol. Sometimes it’s necessary to feel a little angry.” As long as he’d known Chanyeol, he’d also known Sehun for a few years by now and he doubted that the King of Balam would be angry for too long. While Sehun was occasionally annoyed or hurt by actions, he rarely dragged the conflict out for longer than necessary. The young man was way too soft to maintain fights for longer than a few days at most.

In Baekhyun’s opinion, Chanyeol was the same though.

“I just want it to be alright again though.” Said man’s voice cut through the air, this time laced with regret and Baekhyun knew that Chanyeol’s anger had vanished. As usual, the irritation had been replaced by something else, something heavier, and Baekhyun was there to help him with that too.

“I know.” He murmured, leaning forward. Chanyeol was still hot, but rapidly cooling down by now. Even after all this time, he was still amazed by the King’s sudden changes of temperature and how closely related they actually were to his mood swings.

It took about five more minutes until Chanyeol had cooled down enough for Baekhyun to touch him. By the time the other had crawled into bed beside him, now looking worn out rather than fired up, Baekhyun had come up with a plan.

“Is there a way I can cheer you up with?”

Instead of waiting for a reply, he slid on top of Chanyeol’s lap, his arms caging in the King’s head. Chanyeol, who’d just laid down, stared up at Baekhyun with wide eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” Suddenly, Baekhyun’s lips were hovering right above Chanyeol’s, only millimetres keeping them apart.

When Chanyeol spoke up next, they could both feel the faint touch of their lips with every word. “I don’t know, but I want you to kiss me.”

“There’s nothing I’d rather do.” The words were breathed out just before Baekhyun pressed their lips together. This time, it wasn’t an innocent kiss. There was heat behind it, a different kind of heat than the one Chanyeol had felt earlier. This heat was of the good kind, and this time they both could feel it from within.

When a soft tongue slid against Baekhyun’s bottom lip, it felt natural for him to part it. The first time their tongues brushed together, a shudder ran down his spine and he pressed closer, angling his head a little to the side so they could kiss more comfortably. With every lick and bite from Chanyeol, Baekhyun could feel himself melting against the other. He hadn’t even noticed it at first, but after a few minutes of making out, his hips had begun to roll against the other’s.

Parting for air, Baekhyun gave Chanyeol no time to dive in for another kiss as he began to press opened mouthed kisses to Chanyeol’s pulse point again. Never before had he expected to feel so into it, but when Chanyeol gasped and flinched with every lick of his tongue and brush of his lips against his skin, Baekhyun already knew that he could do this forever. All the tiny gasps and hums egged him on to become more daring, sucking on a patch of skin until it began to turn blotchy. He knew already that Chanyeol would probably be annoyed by it in the morning but right then, it sounded like he was really enjoying himself.

In the process of marking up Chanyeol’s neck, he’d somehow ended up lying on top of him. He only realized that, however, when two large palms slid down his back only to come to a rest on his butt. The first squeeze made Baekhyun keen, and his ministrations on Chanyeol’s neck stilled for a moment. “Do that again. But underneath the fabric.” He mumbled.

They could both feel each other’s hardness in their position but Baekhyun had no time to think about it when Chanyeol actually shoved his hands into his pants, his warm palms sliding over the hot skin of Baekhyun’s ass. Through the fabric, it had already felt incredibly good, but now that it was skin on skin Baekhyun realized that he’d never been able to imagine how good it actually felt to get his ass touched by someone else.

A melodious moan spilled from his lips when Chanyeol’s finger dipped between his butt cheeks, not yet low enough to brush against his hole but still far enough for his hips to stutter. Inside his pants, his cock twitched and the pressure of Chanyeol rolling his hips up against him just made him harder.

In hindsight, Baekhyun hadn’t expected their first sexual encounter to be like this but now that it was happening, it was perfect in every single way.

“Should we… take off our clothes?” Chanyeol asked. His voice was husky in a way that Baekhyun hadn’t known before. The thought of learning about an entirely new side of Chanyeol sent a shudder down his spine.

It took them longer than expected to take off all of their clothes. Every time a new patch of skin was revealed, the respective other got distracted and decided to pay it extra attention before they could continue with discarding the next article of clothing.

By the time they were fully undressed, they were both breathing heavily, their cocks leaking as Chanyeol’s large hand wrapped around them. The feeling of Chanyeol’s length pressed against his own made Baekhyun see stars, but with the added pleasure of Chanyeol’s large hand wrapped around their girths, he was in heaven.

Naturally, their lips found each other again, and while Baekhyun’s fingers dug into the skin of Chanyeol’s back, the other somehow managed to grab Baekhyun’s butt again.

Neither of the two lasted more than a few strokes of Chanyeol’s hand, too strung out and high on the new sensations. Chanyeol was the first to come, spilling hot over both of them and his hand. It took only mere seconds for Baekhyun to follow him, tipping over the edge when Chanyeol accidently brushed over his hole.

Catching their breaths, they shared suddenly shy smiles, flashes of embarrassment returning now that the haze was slowly leaving their systems. Still, the grin on their lips stayed even as they cleaned up and slid underneath the sheets, Chanyeol pulling Baekhyun against his chest to spoon him from behind.

A hand sneaked around his waist and for a second, Baekhyun thought Chanyeol was reaching for his dick again but was relieved when the King ended up lacing their fingers together instead.

He’d almost drifted off to sleep when Chanyeol’s soft voice rang through to him, his breath hitting the sensitive skin on his neck as he spoke softly.

“I love you.”

That night, they both fell asleep with a smile on their face.

 

 

The following morning, Sehun woke up to loud knocks against his door. Peeling himself away from Zitao, who had pulled him into his arms during the night, Sehun tapped to the door in his nightgown. In the bed, the guard had awoken as well, a rosy blush appearing on his cheeks as he realized that he and the King had once again been cuddling at night. For the past weeks, they would always fall asleep on different sides of the bed but wake up tangled up in each other. Neither of the two had addressed it yet, but every morning, they exchanged shy smiles and hushed excuses, both secretly enjoying it a little more than they liked to admit though.

It had been one of his brother’s maids that had knocked on his door. Carrying a message for Sehun, she left after delivering the letter, leaving Tao and Sehun to themselves again. As his eyes scanned the letter, Sehun quickly realized that there was no sense in him returning to bed.

Half an hour later, fully dressed and with an empty stomach, he stepped into his brother’s chambers, Tao in tow. In contrast to Sehun’s rooms, his brother’s were filled with books and weaponry. Gleaming swords, beautifully crafted arrows and artfully designed shields decorated the walls. The light of several candles added to the soft light of the rising sun that shone through the large windows.

Already sitting at the large desk in the back of the room, Sehyun looked up when he saw his brother approaching. With a simple gesture, he offered them to sit down, even allowing Tao who had followed Sehun like a shadow to sit down right next to Sehun as well.

After they’d both settled, Sehun decided to come straight to the point. His brother’s message had sounded urgent, but he hadn’t been able to read out anything else that could possibly be the reason for that. Quite honestly, Sehun was at a loss.

“You sent for me?”

Nodding at the question, Sehun offered his younger brother a wide smile. The King wasn’t sure when he’d last seen his brother smile so brightly. It must have been before the death of their parents. After that, things had seemed to have changed, if only for a little.

Now, however, Sehyun seemed to be in a fantastic mood. His eyes were gleaming as he opened his mouth to speak up, a triumphant glint in them.

“I have great news, Sehun.” He declared.  “The man behind the failed assassination attempt was finally caught.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of this chapter? A baby dragon!!! Did you like the story of how the world was created? Personally, I'm quite proud and fond of that part! Let me know what you think! <3
> 
> As always, I also have a [moodboard](https://twitter.com/SehunSemper/status/1137027376750190592) for this chapter. This time it's Yifan cause I thought that would fit cause of the dragon vibes <3


	15. Chapter 14

“I have great news, Sehun.” Sehyun declared.  “The man behind the failed assassination attempt was finally caught.”

“You caught him?” Slack-jawed, Sehun stared at his older brother who looked like he’d just found a mine of gold in the mountains bordering on Bul. Quite frankly, the news were probably even more delightful than that.

“My men did.” Sehyun nodded and stood up from where he was seated in front of them and walked over to a small side table with a pot of tea and cups on them. As he spoke, he filled the cups with the steaming hot liquid. “It irks me that it took this long, but finally we can celebrate that this threat has been eliminated.” Placing two steaming cups in front of them, Sehyun returned to his desk and sat down.

“Can I see him? I want to talk to him. I want to know why this person did it.” There was this deep desire inside of him to find out the reasons of why someone wanted to see him dead. Ever since the incident had happened, the thought of it unsettled him.

During his whole life, Sehun had never wished death upon anybody. While there certainly had been people that he hadn’t liked, people that he perceived as bad, Sehun had never hated someone. To him, the notion of hate was something to be scared of. Once someone reached the point of hatred, it was hard for them to be rational. As a king, such a feeling could lead to the downfall of an entire kingdom. Personally, Sehun also believed in the good in people. Often, people had kindly tried to tell him that he was too naïve, and maybe he was, but to him, trying to see the good side in everyone was the most desirable way of living. If he were to only see the bad things first, what else there was left to enjoy in life?

Therefore, he was extremely curious about the person behind the arrow. A lot of time had passed since then, at least it felt like it, and Sehun finally had the chance to find out the motives behind the attack.

However, there seemed to be a problem with that.

“I would love for you to be able to do that…” Sehyun started, sending Sehun an apologetic look while he sipped on his tea. “But I’m afraid I have to inform you that the man was actually killed during the capturing.”

A gasp escaped Sehun. “What do you mean he was killed? But then how do you know he was the one behind the assassination attempt?” Without any evidence, and so far Sehun wasn’t aware of any, there was no way the man’s guilt could’ve been proved.

At that, Sehyun straightened up a little. Leaning forward, he put down his cup to focus on his brother fully. “First of all, an arrow matching the one that your guard stopped from piercing your chest was found in the man’s hut near the forest. Apparently, he has been living in a hut, close to one of the surrounding villages around Mipung, all alone for years now. The residents of the village have reported that the man seemed, to put it politely, a little crazy. His whole hut was filled with what he called his trophies, which means stuffed animals and bones, teeth, furs… you get the picture.” At the mention of taxidermy, Sehun’s eyebrows furrowed and he felt a pang in his heart but he stayed put to be able to listen to his brother’s explanation.

“Just a day ago, we received a hint from one of the villagers that they saw the man returning to his hut with his bow and arrow about an hour after the attack on you happened. In that hour, he would’ve had enough time to cross the distance between Mipung and the village. Upon hearing that, I sent a troop of men to the village to investigate. The moment the man saw them approaching, he reportedly fled the hut but my men easily caught up with him and took him back to the hut where they found the matching arrows. It was then when he confessed to the whole assassination attempt and my men were starting to believe he was going to cooperate. Apparently, that was a huge mistake. While they were trying to secure his arms, he grabbed one of their swords and attempted a strike. In order to stop him from seriously injuring one of the soldiers, he was struck down by one of them. He died at the scene. Nothing couldn’t be done for him anymore.”

The whole time, Sehun had been listening with his eyes trained on the steaming cup of tea in front of him. For some reason that he couldn’t fully fathom, something seemed off about this. Maybe it was the uncertainty, the impossibility of talking to the man before he would receive his trial just to ask him for the reasons of the assassination attempt. Maybe it was the entire lack of a trial.

Sehun knew that incidents like that happened. Accidents occurred more often than expected, and he should probably just be grateful that that this problem was solved, but his brother’s words still didn’t sit too well with him.

“And you’re sure he confessed? And that the arrows were the same?” Sehun had to ask. Beside him, Tao had been listening to the whole story, just as enraptured as Sehun had been.

“I was expecting you to ask that. Actually, I asked my men the same question. Therefore, they brought the evidence with them.” Standing up again, Sehyun ventured to the side of the room where an arrow and bow were lying on a wooden chest and Sehun wondered how he hadn’t noticed them earlier.

An arrow in his hand, Sehun’s brother approached the two of them again, however, this time turning towards to Tao who looked just as surprised as Sehun at that.

With a smile, Sehyun held out the arrow for him. “Is this the kind of arrow that you caught so it wouldn’t pierce my brother’s chest in the centre of Mipung?” His eyes caught Tao’s and the guard was surprised by how similar yet how different they were to Sehun’s. Their shape was almost identical, he thought, but the look in them was nothing like the one in Sehun’s eyes.

Looking away, Tao took the arrow into his hands and examined it. Without a doubt, this was the same kind of arrow that he’d caught in the moments of frozen time. The feathers used for the arrow were a kind he’d never seen in the combination with the wood before and the decorative carvings were rather telling, too.

“Yes, it definitely is the same kind, sir.” Tao replied politely.

A satisfied expression spread on Sehyun’s lips as he turned back to his little brother. “I couldn’t believe it at first either, Sehun, but it seems like the mystery finally has been solved. Isn’t it magnificent?” He asked, pulling him into a hug that surprised not only Tao but also Sehun with its suddenness.

Immediately wrapping his arms around his brother’s waist, Sehun smiled and rested his face on his brother’s shoulder. And even though he was happy to put an end to all his worrying about the assassination attempt incident, Sehun couldn’t fully let himself enjoy the information for some reason. It was like something deep inside of him was holding him back from truly feeling happy about finding the culprit and it mainly had to do with how he never got a chance to talk to the person himself.

Still, he forced a smile as he squeezed his brother’s waist. “It truly is magnificent, hyung.”

After the conversation with his brother, Sehun had rushed straight to the next person that wanted to talk to him. Right after leaving his brother’s chambers, one of Chanyeol’s maids informed him that the King of Bul wanted to talk to him in private. Because there was no sense in holding a grudge even though he was still a little angry at his friend, Sehun immediately followed the young woman with Tao in tow.

In his chambers, Chanyeol was already awaiting him with an apologetic look on his face. The following conversation was surprisingly self-reflected on Chanyeol’s side and Sehun saw no reason in prolonging the conflict with him, even though he certainly wasn’t entirely over it just yet.

Now that this was settled, Chanyeol still owed the Queen of Bihaeng an apology. In order to make sure that the impulsive King didn’t mess it up again – even if he might not intend it – Sehun decided to join him in heading to Bihaeng’s quarters so that Chanyeol had him as support as he apologized to the Queen.

Song Qian seemed surprised when Chanyeol explained himself to her and asked for forgiveness, but it was a pleasant surprise. They even ended up having a cup of tea together and while the small talk was slightly awkward, Sehun was glad that it happened.

Due to Chanyeol apologizing, Queen Qian decided to continue the negotiations with the other Kingdoms. Because of that, the following day they were able to assemble in the negotiation room again, everyone seated in their usual seats with a look of determination on their faces. The break had truly showed most of them how fragile their bond was and how desirable it really was.

Before the negotiations were officially picked up again, Chanyeol stood up, his eyes fixated on Song Qian once again. For a second, Sehun was worried that his friend was going to impulsively take his apology back but when Chanyeol spoke up, the King of Balam relaxed again when he heard what Chanyeol was actually saying.

“I officially want to apologize to Queen Qian of Bihaeng again. Although I have already apologized to her in person before this meeting, I want to officially do it again with everyone present as it is incredibly important for all of us to be on the same page. During the break, I realized how important trust in each other is.” Chanyeol sent a glance into Sehun’s direction. “Thus, from now on I want to try my best to trust in all of you and not spread any negative feelings that are based on mere assumptions I made. I am incredibly sorry, Queen Qian, for accusing you of plotting the assassination of King Sehun and I want to say that I feel very ashamed.”

For a moment, the whole room was silent. The only noise came from a tiny flock of birds chirping on the windowsill. Earlier, Sehun had attempted to tell them to leave the room but they’d insisted on watching and had promised to stay quiet so they could talk in peace. Now, they were chirping softly though, but it wasn’t too distracting.

The birds shut up the moment Queen Qian spoke up to address Chanyeol’s apology. “I accept your apology, King Chanyeol of Bul.” There was a soft smile on her lips and the expression on Chanyeol’s face was one of relief. Even though he’d already apologized to her the previous day, it had been important for the other’s to see and hear it as well. Also, Queen Qian probably deserved another apology too, the matter had been rather serious after all.

Deciding that it was his turn to release Chanyeol from the stares that were all trained on him, Sehun stood up and cleared his throat.

“Thank you for explaining yourself again, Chanyeol.” He smiled at his friend but then turned towards the rest of the table. “Now that this matter has been solved, I would like to officially continue our talks. There are still many things to talk about, such as military, trade and borders. At the same time, I want to stress our progress already. I am certain that we will find a solution to the problems that will occur in the future, and I’m looking forward to doing it together with all of you. But since we don’t want to waste more time, without further ado, let’s begin today’s talks with renewed vigour.”

Just like that, the group dove right back into the negotiations. They had started early in the morning and only when the sun had gone down already, they decided to stop. Due to the postponed beginning and now the break in-between, they all felt the need to catch up with the original schedule.

Therefore, at the end of the day, everyone was exhausted from a long day of discussing military adjustments of the respective kingdoms. While they still hadn’t come to a clean consensus, they were slowly but surely making progress.

At some point they agreed there was no sense in continuing through the night though, and they called it a night. Everyone headed to their respective quarters to catch some much needed sleep before the negotiations were going to be continued the next day.

 

While Jongin had originally attended the negotiations with Kyungsoo, he’d left at some point in the afternoon because his presence hadn’t been needed anymore. Even though he liked to spend time with Kyungsoo, he didn’t mind too much that he hadn’t had to stay in the room any longer. Instead of being stuck there, he’d taken a long walk through the royal gardens before heading back to Kyungsoo’s quarters to take a long bath.

The hours kept passing by and Kyungsoo still hadn’t returned. Originally, he’d hope that they could maybe have a relaxed dinner together, because Kyungsoo usually liked to dine with him, but he figured that it was too late for that now and that they’d already had some food during the negotiations.

It was dark outside already when Kyungsoo finally returned to the room. Jongin had retreated to bed, immersed in the book Kyungsoo had given to him. When the King stepped inside, he immediately put it aside and focused on the now tired looking man.

“How did it go? It took a lot longer than I expected it to. Did you have dinner?”

“We had food while we discussed the disarmament clauses.” Kyungsoo explained, sending Jongin a quick once over. Because he was in bed already, he was shirtless and he could feel Kyungsoo’s eyes lingering on his exposed chest.

“I’ll be taking a quick bath and then I’ll be back. Are you tired?” Kyungsoo asked.

Happy that the King didn’t question Jongin just relaxing and reading in his bed, he shook his head. “Not that much, no. I hope you don’t mind me waiting here.”

A tiny smirk graced Kyungsoo’s lips. “I definitely don’t. I hope you’ll still be waiting for me when I’m done with my bath.” There was a promise in that and Jongin truly hoped that it meant that Kyungsoo was going to pound him into the sheets.

It’d been too long since they’d done that. Lately, with the negotiations and travelling it had mostly been handjobs and blowjobs from Jongin’s side with the occasional handjob that Kyungsoo returned. A few nights ago, Kyungsoo had even fingered him and Jongin was pretty certain that he hadn’t come that hard in a while.

By the time Kyungsoo emerged from the bathroom, dressed only in a thin towel loosely wrapped around his waist, Jongin was lounging on top of the sheets, fully naked. There was just a sheen layer of almost see-through fabric covering his crotch area that was quickly tugged away when Kyungsoo slipped onto the bed beside him, effectively ridding Jongin of the last layer of cover-up. Leaving him fully naked, he looked up expectantly to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes that were soaking up the expanse of beautiful, smooth skin in front of him.

Whenever Kyungsoo looked at him like this, Jongin enjoyed every single second of it. The appreciative look in the King’s eyes was enough for him to feel his cock stir already, the anticipation of what was to come egging him on. A small noise escaped his plush lips when Kyungsoo tapped his shoulder to push him over.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo was hovering above him. The towel around his waist was long gone, revealing a half hard length that Jongin wanted to wrap his lips around so badly that he couldn’t look away. He didn’t have to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes to know that the other was smirking when he spoke.

“Hey, my eyes are up here, Jongin.”

Gentle fingers tipped up his chin, making Jongin meet Kyungsoo’s eyes. He only had a second to appreciate the warmth of them before luscious lips pressed onto his own, starting out with an almost innocent kiss that quickly led to Kyungsoo prying Jongin’s lips apart and exploring his mouth with his tongue.

Automatically, Jongin wrapped his arms around Kyungsoo’s neck to pull him closer, gasping when Kyungsoo did that one thing with his tongue that always drove Jongin crazy. And every time they made out, Jongin realized once again that he’d never grow tired of kissing Kyungsoo. There was just something about the way his lips and his body moved that made him feel so whole and wanted that nobody else could ever reach that again.

When they pulled apart, Kyungsoo didn’t waste much time pressing soft kisses to Jongin’s jaw and neck. Every single touch of his lips left a trail of fire in its wake. Tangling his fingers in the King’s black hair, Jongin’s eyes fluttered shut as his lips parted in a silent moan. Centimetre by centimetre, Kyungsoo worked his way down Jongin’s chest. With a stop at his nipples, he teased them with his tongue and lips until Jongin was whining for him to stop teasing.

It had been ages since Kyungsoo had taken so much time to rile him up and focus on him and while Jongin wanted to enjoy it, the sudden attention was almost too much.

By the time Kyungsoo finally reached his cock, he was already achingly hard, his length flushed and precome gathering at the tip where Kyungsoo was hovering above it.

For a second, Jongin thought that Kyungsoo was going to stop now but then the King leaned down and pressed his lips to the head of his cock, placing a soft kiss on top of it. Just the mere touch of his lips against his cock made Jongin twitch, which resulted in a smirk from Kyungsoo.

“Tell me what you want, Jongin, and I’ll give it to you.” Large brown eyes were fixated on him when he forced himself to look down at Kyungsoo. There was a knowing look on his face and instantly, Jongin knew that Kyungsoo wasn’t going to touch his cock again until Jongin told him exactly what he wanted.

“Touch me, please.” He breathed, his tongue feeling heavy as he formed the words.

“Touch you where? What do you want me to do?” Of course, Jongin’s reply hadn’t been enough for Kyungsoo.

His cheeks reddened as a billion things that he wanted Kyungsoo to do to him filled his mind but the most pressing one was the thing that eventually left his lips. “I want your lips around my cock, please.”

“You see, it wasn’t that hard, right? Since you asked for it so nicely, I’ll give it to you.” Without further ado, Kyungsoo wrapped long fingers around Jongin’s straining length and gave it a few experimental strokes before wrapping his lips around the tip. The moment the tight heat enveloped the head of his cock, Jongin let out a breath and spread his legs a little more so that Kyungsoo could fit in-between them.

The wetness around his cock only lasted for a few seconds though until Kyungsoo went back to pressing kisses to his length, driving him crazy with the teasing touches that were bordering on overwhelming but weren’t enough at the same time. His thighs were trembling by the time a finger brushed against his hole and he let out a loud, melodious moan when Kyungsoo finally wrapped his lips around his cock again for real. This time, he didn’t let up, instead taking in more and more of his length with every bob of his head.

Every drag of Kyungsoo’s tongue against his cock made Jongin want to thrust his cock deeper into his throat, but he didn’t want to overwhelm the other either. Instead, he gripped Kyungsoo’s hair more tightly as more and more moans slipped from his throat.

The next time he felt Kyungsoo’s finger brush over his hole, probing a little, his eyes fluttered open. “Please.” He breathed, his hips rolling down against Kyungsoo’s finger. The other had lifted off his cock for a moment so that Jongin’s length pressed against Kyungsoo’s cheek and he was pretty sure that the other had never looked hotter before, except for maybe when he was hovering above him and pounding him into the sheets.

“Please what? Use your words again, Jongin.” Kyungsoo’s voice sounded a little rough now, and the knowledge that it did because he’d just had Jongin’s cock down his throat made it only hotter for Jongin.

“I want you to fuck me.” This time, he didn’t want to beat around the bush because if Kyungsoo didn’t hurry up, Jongin was pretty sure that he was going to come before Kyungsoo even got inside of him and he definitely didn’t want that.

“So direct, all of a sudden. I like that.”

The praise was almost better than the implication behind the words and Jongin nodded eagerly, spreading his legs wider so that Kyungsoo really understood that he didn’t want to wait any longer.

Soft laughter bubbled up in Kyungsoo’s throat as he smoothed his palms over Jongin’s thighs before he let go of him to reach out for the table beside the bed where they stored the ointment they used as a lubricant.

While Kyungsoo grabbed the small bottle, Jongin caught sight of Kyungsoo’s hard cock. The whole time the other had pleasured him, he hadn’t paid any attention to Kyungsoo but still, the King’s length was flushed and rock hard, making Jongin feel flustered because it meant that Kyungsoo had enjoyed making him feel good so much that he was that aroused.

When Kyungsoo had settled in front of him again, Jongin didn’t hesitate to let him between his legs again. When a finger brushed over his hole again, this time feeling a lot wetter and more slick than before, he tried to relax when the first finger slipped inside. Just the one finger didn’t feel too uncomfortable so it didn’t take long until Kyungsoo could add a second one. The first time his fingers brushed over Jongin’s prostate, Jongin’s eyes fluttered shut and he involuntarily clenched around Kyungsoo’s fingers.

“Does it feel good?”

“So good.” Jongin hummed, fingers digging into the bed sheets as Kyungsoo began to tease his prostate now that he’d found it.

Soon enough, another finger joined the first two and Jongin was starting to feel impatient again. His cock was drooling against his abs and with every press to his prostate, he could feel himself getting closer to climax. Therefore, when Kyungsoo pulled his fingers out Jongin felt happy for the short break to relax himself.

Watching Kyungsoo lathering his cock up with the ointment didn’t really serve to calm him but Jongin just couldn’t tear his eyes away. Kyungsoo’s cock wasn’t overwhelmingly long, which Jongin didn’t mind at all, but it was beautifully thick and he couldn’t wait to feel it filling him up in all the best ways.

Thankfully, Kyungsoo didn’t keep him waiting for too long. Pressing the blunt tip of his cock against his hole, Kyungsoo made sure that Jongin was ready. When Jongin gave him a breathless nod, Kyungsoo began to press into him slowly but surely. He didn’t stop until their hips were connecting, a low moan slipping from his lips as Jongin’s tightness clamped around him.

“Fuck, Jongin.” He moaned when the other shifted a little, making both of them squeeze their eyes shut at the intense feeling.

Together, they began to work up a rhythm that began to pick up speed when Jongin began to relax. When Kyungsoo lowered himself to basically hover on top of Jongin, Jongin didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around him to pull him even closer.

Suddenly, everything felt a lot more intimate, Kyungsoo’s face hovering right above his as their bodies melded together to move in sync. When their lips slid together, it felt like the most natural thing to Jongin and he kind of just got lost in the feeling, his lips moving against Kyungsoo’s as Kyungsoo drove his hips into Jongin.

When Jongin angled his hips a little differently, he suddenly broke the kiss and cried out when Kyungsoo hit his prostate dead on. From then on, Kyungsoo made sure to keep hitting the sweet spot inside of Jongin, loving to draw out the little noises from him that kept spilling from his lips as he abused his prostate. There was precome pooling on his stomach and Kyungsoo’s hair was a mess from where Jongin had been running his fingers through it but neither of the two cared.

When Kyungsoo whispered a husky “I’m gonna come” into Jongin’s ear, the younger just let out a quiet whine. It took only a few more thrusts of Kyungsoo’s hips until Jongin came untouched, his cock twitching between them as he spilled hot come over their naked chests.

The tightening of him as he came made Kyungsoo tip over the edge too, his hips stuttering as he spilled deeply into Jongin. Their fingers laced together as they rode out their orgasms, lazy rolling of hips and messy kisses accompanied whispers of praise from Kyungsoo.

Pulling out, they both moaned at the way his come trickled out of Jongin’s hole down the crack of his ass but, Kyungsoo didn’t focus on it for much longer as he instead laid down beside Jongin, pulling him into a tight embrace.

When their heartbeats had calmed down again a little, Kyungsoo began to gently run his fingers through Jongin’s hair as he contemplated how to bring up something that he’d been thinking about a lot lately.

Even though he’d known it for a long time, since the beginning of the negotiations it had become a lot clearer to him. Due to the two spending even more time together without Jongin even really having his own room, they were forced to be around each other most of the time. The thing was, Kyungsoo didn’t really perceive it as something forced, and he hadn’t in a long, long time, if ever.

Seeing a few of the kings and queens happy with partners he realized that he was treating Jongin wrong. Not only that, he had realized that what felt the most wrong about it was the fact that Jongin was so much more to him than just his body.

One of Kyungsoo’s problem had always been voicing his feelings towards things. Oftentimes, he was perceived as cold-hearted and stern when actually, he just didn’t know how to express the positive feelings well. At the same time, he believed that as the king of a strong country, he also had to maintain a strong image. There was a lot of weight on his shoulders, but in the end, it shouldn’t be Jongin who had to carry it.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about.” Kyungsoo’s words overpowered the beating of Kyungsoo’s heart in his ear where Jongin was resting his head on the King’s still flushed chest.

To get a better look at Kyungsoo, Jongin lifted his head slightly to examine the expression on Kyungsoo’s face. Something in his voice had sounded off, but Jongin couldn’t quite place what it was. The uncertainty made him feel uneasy. Nevertheless, he nodded. "Yes, of course, your highness."

Their eyes met for a moment before Jongin’s head began to feel too heavy and he rested it on his chest again. If he wasn’t mistaken, Kyungsoo’s heartbeat seemed to have quickened a little.

"Have you thought about what I told you when we came here?" Kyungsoo asked, his fingers still softly carding through Jongin’s hair. It was such a gentle gesture that Jongin almost leaned into the touch like a cat vying for attention.

The question, however, stirred something inside of him that Jongin preferably left untouched most of the time.

"Yes, I did." He replied anyways and began to wonder where this was going to lead. "I don't really understand what you're trying to tell me though, your highness."

Somewhere behind him, Kyungsoo let out an audible breath. "I'll... Try to explain it again then.” A pause, and Jongin could practically hear the words in Kyungsoo’s head coming together as he tried to find the right words.

“I don't think your position is in the army, Jongin. I just don't understand why you're so adamant on serving for the country. It's hard for you, I know you don't want to hurt anyone and that's not a bad thing." Kyungsoo’s eyes searched for Jongin’s. "It doesn't mean you're not skilled in other things, it just doesn't make a good soldier."

Silence stretched between them as Jongin thought about what to say. Of the many things he’d expected Kyungsoo to say, that certainly hadn’t been one of them.

"So you're firing me." Jongin concluded. A billion thoughts were rushing through his head, most of them having to do with his family. If he really were to be expelled from the army, he couldn’t dare turning up at home anymore. Even if he didn’t care for his own reputation, his family certainly did.

Kyungsoo didn’t seem to be done with talking though.

"I won’t fire you, not yet. I just want to know what makes you so desperate to stay in your position you'd even do what you do for me." The moment he’d said it, he already regretted his words. With his wording, he’d regarded what they had with a rather negative connotation which hadn’t initially been his intention. Now, it was too late to take it back though. Instead of dwelling on it, he continued. "I just don't understand. You must have some kind of reason, but it doesn't look like you're having fun when you fight. And I don’t even mean having fun in hurting others, which is not something that I value. I am referring to enjoying the daily tasks of a soldier. You are out of place Jongin, and we both know it.”

That hit deeper than Jongin had been ready for. "I- my family has always been a military family. My father, grandfather… all of them were soldiers. I just- they expect it from me – especially with our ability it’s easy to do well and-" Upon realizing what he had just revealed, Jongin abruptly shut up and stared at Kyungsoo with wide eyes, his heart pounding in his chest so hard that he thought the other had to be able to hear it.

"Your... Ability? You never told me you had an ability." Immediately, the word had caught his attention, and for some reason, Kyungsoo had a really bad feeling about this. Usually, soldiers had to report any abilities upon being recruited. Apparently, Jongin had forgone that and hadn’t informed the officials about his ability. That didn’t sit very well with Kyungsoo.

Especially when Jongin murmured an " It's not that important.", Kyungsoo wasn’t feeling as calm as he had at the beginning of the conversation anymore. Just from the look on Jongin’s face, it had quickly become clear that he had never meant for Kyungsoo to find out about this. The expression of shock, mixed with a tinge of horror looked misplaced on his pretty face and if Kyungsoo weren’t as strung up, he’d almost feel sorry for the other. Like this, he needed to inquire more.

"Jongin. Are you aware that every soldier in my army is supposed to report their abilities so that they can be used to optimum strength?" There was a tone in his voice that he hadn’t used on Jongin in a long, long time. It was the kind of undertone that he used when he gave orders, not the way he usually asked favours of Jongin. In this situation though, it felt like it was the only way he could get through to him.

"It must have slipped from the... Recruitment application." It was a vile attempt at lying, and not even Jongin looked convinced by it. The man was avoiding his eyes, clear desperation palpable by just looking at him.

Lying to the recruiter was one thing. Lying to the king was of a different breed. And lying to the King about something as relevant as a hidden ability that could grant them military advantages bordered on treason.

In Him, treason meant certain death, and Jongin really didn’t want to die.

"Nothing slips. If you have an ability that I don't know of that means you filled out the form incorrectly or that you left it out intentionally. That is treason." Suddenly, there was a tenseness in Kyungsoo’s voice that Jongin had never heard before. Even though he’d spent quite a long time with Kyungsoo, it was rare for the King of Him to get to this level of annoyance and it was a little upsetting to realize that he was the source of this.

Even though he knew a simple apology just wasn’t going to make it, Jongin tried it anyway. "I'm sorry, your highness. I never meant to upset you like this, it wasn't my intention-" he broke off when the expression on Kyungsoo’s face changed. By now, he’d slipped off of Kyungsoo’s chest and when the King sat up, the blanket pooled around his waist as he looked down at Jongin. If he wasn’t mistaken, Jongin could read disappointment in his expression and that definitely hurt more than the anger had.

The look with which Kyungsoo fixed him with was icy, but there was a hint of hurt somewhere in-between. "I was going to have this talk because I wanted to suggest taking our relationship to the next level. I thought there was more than just… something bodily. But now that I know that you lied to me for more than two years, I am not sure that I really know you.”

"By your side?" It felt like a knife had been rammed into his gut and was slowly being twisted around. At the same time, Kyungsoo’s words made his heart leap in his throat. Taking their relationship to a different level was something Jongin had wanted for ages, but up until now he’d expected his feelings to be one sided. The thought of having ruined the chances of them being something else right before something could have even bloomed made Jongin feel nauseous.

"Please, Kyungsoo-“ He addressed him by his name and not his title. This felt a lot more personal than that. “I’m so sorry, I just didn’t know what to do. Can you… can you forgive me? I’ll explain-“

Kyungsoo was boiling with anger. There was an itch in his hands as he balled them into fists, and it scared him more than it probably scared Jongin. Generally, Kyungsoo prided himself in mental and physical balance. As the King of Him, he’d spent his life learning to control the power that resided deep within him. Gifted with inhuman strength, Kyungsoo had often struggled with power outbursts during his childhood and teenage days. Even nowadays, it was still hard sometimes to find the right balance between what was too much and what was appropriate. There were times when he thought he tapped something lightly but then the vase that he’d touched sprung into a thousand pieces. Sometimes he tried to push something out of the way and it ended up on the other side of the room. In the end, all abilities had their downsides to them, and it was a lifelong task to master them.

"How can you ask me for forgiveness when you still haven't told me the truth?" He said between gritted teeth, having trouble keeping his voice even.

"I- I didn't want to use my ability because I-" suddenly Jongin was gone, his words cut off in the middle of the sentence. Only air was left where Jongin used to lie and where Kyungsoo was staring at a now empty space.

Instead, Jongin was at the other side of the room, staring at Kyungsoo on the bed with wide eyes.

It took Kyungsoo a moment to understand what had just happened, but then suddenly everything made a lot more sense to him. As the leader of a kingdom and an army, his brain worked quickly, and especially the analysis of useful talents and abilities was his forte. Thus, it took him only mere seconds to realize what this implied. Without really registering it, Kyungsoo climbed out of bed, the sheets pooling around his legs as he took a few steps. For a second, Jongin thought that Kyungsoo was coming towards him but he quickly realized he was wrong.

The room was eerily quiet for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, Kyungsoo punched the table with all his might. It immediately collapsed under the force, sending a thousand splinters flying across the room as the wood shattered under his fist.  A few splinters ended up getting stuck in the skin of his hand but in the heat of the moment, Kyungsoo didn’t even register it.

"You kept-you kept teleportation from me? One of the most strategical and powerful abilities in battle?" Kyungsoo’s voice was scarily calm.

Across the room, Jongin was breathing shallowly. He'd never seen Kyungsoo like this, never this furious and angry. He had never expected to be the source for this amount of anger and he couldn't deal with it at all. "Please let me explain!" It was the only thing he could do for Kyungsoo right now and all Jongin wanted was for the other to calm down.

However, Kyungsoo wasn’t even close to calming down just now. It wasn’t just that he had trouble keeping his anger in check just now because of a lack of control over his power. It wasn’t just the fact that Jongin had hidden a strategic advantage in form of a teleportation ability from him. What actually hit him the most was the thing that Jongin had actively chosen to hide it from him. He’d lied to him, and he’d done it with a straight face. It had just seemed so effortless and Kyungsoo was beginning to wonder what else had been a lie, too. There was a hand wrapped around his heart, and its grip seemed to gradually tighten the longer he thought about it.

"Oh, alright. Now, after you had years of time to tell me about this. Now you demand that I listen?" The disappointment and hurt made him act even more irrational. His voice got louder again towards the end and even Kyungsoo registered that he didn’t even sound like himself anymore.

The expression on Kyungsoo’s face coupled the tone of his voice were the last straw and Jongin broke out into tears. "I'm so sorry, Kyungsoo.” He sobbed. "I just- my family- you know-  _ my family _ , I'm their only son and they always were so proud of their tradition of serving in the army of Him. They would have disowned me if I didn’t serve in the army and continued my family’s tradition. My father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather… their story goes far back. However, I always knew I would never be happy like they were, though. But- but I don't like hurting others. You’re right, you always were right. I don’t belong in the army, but I tried so hard to make it work somehow." He hiccupped, back pressed against the wall. "I knew if I made my ability well known I would be important.  Teleportation is a really great ability in fight, I know that. And I felt bad for hiding it right from the start.” Another hiccup made Jongin pause for a second. “But then you offered me the deal with being… close to you and still officially be a soldier and I was so happy- because- because it was such a good deal! Exchanging something I loathe for something I- I like..."

The words hadn’t fully sunk in just yet, but Kyungsoo took a few deep breaths, trying to calm his anger. Deep down, he knew that Jongin had a good reason, and the reality behind his words were slowly beginning to hit. Still, Kyungsoo had a hard time getting over the betrayal. At the same, his hand was beginning to burn now where the wooden splinters had pierced his skin from punching the table just minutes ago.

In combat, Kyungsoo actually had to wear gloves and armour that were fitted to his ability when he used his strength. He was inhumanly strong, but not impenetrable and his armour had to resist the force that he was able to use whenever he actually got down to fight.

"You wouldn't have had to fight.” It was the first thing that had popped up in Kyungsoo’s mind after hearing Jongin’s explanation. “You could have been a messenger, my closest advisor. It would have fixed all the problems of how I could get you to be at my side without raising negative voices. If you’d just explained it to me, we could’ve found a solution without creating this mess."

That seemed to hit Jongin pretty hard and a new wave of tears began to spill from his eyes. "I- I'm so sorry- please... Don't tell my family I died as a traitor…" Jongin was still crying and wiping his eyes. Never had he imagined things would end like this for them. He might not have expected everything to turn out perfect in the end, but he’d hoped to at least not ruin everything entirely with his actions.

It took Kyungsoo only a few steps to reach Jongin. When he held up his hands, Jongin instinctively flinched away, already awaiting the punch to his face that he was convinced he deserved. His eyes slipped shut as he waited, trying to prepare him for the pain.

Instead, a soft hand came down to caress his cheek gently.

“That... That was my punishment for the traitor." He said silently and then caressed Jongin's tender skin with his unhurt hand. Kyungsoo was referring to his anger, to the fear he’d induced. Just looking at Jongin had made him realize that this was the most punishment Jongin could probably experienced and he needed to put an end to it. "And... That's my apology for Jongin." He added softly, his thumb brushing away the tears away from Jongin’s wet face. He hated the uncertain look in his puffy eyes, the skin red and blotchy. All he wanted to do was kiss it better but he wasn’t sure if that was what Jongin wanted too.

"I don't understand...” Everything in Jongin’s eyes screamed confusion and honestly, Kyungsoo couldn’t blame him.

"I won't kill you. How could I kill you, Jongin?" He asked, letting go of him because he looked scared out of his mind. He had never experienced anyone that meant so much to him being this scared of him and that might hurt even more than having been lied to. “How could I kill the person that means the most to me?”

In a millisecond, Jongin’s heartbeat escalated in a way that was almost worrisome. “The… most important?” He asked but Kyungsoo just stayed quiet, staring at him with large, expressive eyes that conveyed so much more meaning than words ever could.

 “I thought that was the punishment for treason.” Jongin added, looking away when Kyungsoo’s gaze became too intense.

By looking away, he missed the tiny smile on Kyungsoo’s lips. "I already punished you for that. And there’s a difference between men that lie because they want to do harm and ones that want to protect something, even if it’s just their family’s reputation. If I didn’t know you were a good person, this might be different, but I know you, Jongin. Whatever you do is not born in malicious thought, but from genuine concern. And that’s why I can forgive you.”

Gentle fingertips reached out to cup Jongin’s face again, tilting his chin up so that he would have to meet Kyungsoo’s eyes.

"I wish you would have told me earlier about all your concerns.” Kyungsoo continued. “It seems I have failed as a leader. My own people don't trust me. It’s a shame."

Immediately, Jongin shook his head, resulting in Kyungsoo letting go of his cheek. He instantly regretted the movement, already missing Kyungsoo’s soft touch on him. "It's not like that!” Jongin insisted. “I was just- insecure. It had nothing to do with me not trusting you, because I do. I was just scared that our arrangement would end." He confessed.

Surprised flashed over Kyungsoo’s features. "You could have told me before it even started. If you'd told me about your abilities but your hatred of fighting I'd have tried to give you a position to suit that. It’s just that your ability is extremely useful in a variety of positions." Taking a step away from him, Kyungsoo motioned to the bed in the hopes of Jongin following him. He didn’t want to continue this conversation with Jongin being cornered against a wall. To his relief, the other easily followed him and they settled next to each other on the messed up sheets.

For a second, it felt hard to find the right words but they were important for Kyungsoo to say. "Also…” He started but trailed off again, reforming the sentences in his mind once again. “I was really bad to you Jongin. I'm ashamed of how badly I treated you sometimes. I never wanted to objectify you, and I never wanted you to feel bad about any of the things we did. I guess sometimes the power just got to my head." Thinking back to all the times he’d left Jongin aching and unsatisfied after Jongin had serviced him made his face burn with shame.

"Sometimes, I felt upset about it. That’s true.” There was no point in lying now that they were putting the cards on the table. “At the same time, I accepted it. I could have probably stopped if I'd wanted to."  In the end, Jongin knew he'd still always come back for more.

“I want to make it up to you, Jongin. From this day on, I want to be a better man. And I will start by being a better king.” His hand reached out to take Jongin’s into his own, his thumb brushing over the back of his hand. "I am firing you from your position. Actually, no.” He shook his head. “I am hereby promoting you as my personal advisor for military affairs. Will your family be okay with that? And more importantly, are you okay with that?"

Shock was written all over Jongin’s face and he gaped like a goldfish. "I- yes? Yes of course- I probably don't deserve that though." He looked at Kyungsoo with big, brown eyes filled with confusion and surprise.

Kyungsoo couldn’t hide the small smile upon witnessing Jongin’s genuine and admittedly adorable confusion. "I'll see if you deserve it. For now, I just want you to not be afraid of me anymore." Now that all the anger had drained from his body, Kyungsoo was left with an exhaustion that crept deep into his bones. The realization how much he’d put Jongin through was still too fresh and it would take a while until he could grasp it to its full extent.

When Jongin didn’t reply and instead just squeezed Kyungsoo’s hand in understanding, something else popped up in the King’s mind that he just had to know.

"Are you in full control of your power?" He asked. It was him speaking as both a king interested in possible advantages for his kingdom and as Kyungsoo, the man that was genuinely infatuated by Jongin and interested in his personal matters.

The sudden question about his gift appeared to overwhelm Jongin as he had to think for a second before he answered. "Most of the time I am. However, there are times when my emotions get the better of me and one moment, I’m here, and the next, I’m in the middle of a field of flowers. Or across the room." He blushed at the memory of just disappearing right in front of Kyungsoo just mere minutes ago.

"That's... Understandable. I don't always have full control when I'm emotional as you witnessed." Both their gazes wandered to the broken table and Jongin couldn’t help but giggle. That was going to be fun having to explain to Sehun why there was an undoubtedly expensive, beautifully crafted table broken into pieces just by Kyungsoo punching it. The King wasn’t looking forward to it.

"I will apologize to King Sehun for breaking his belongings." Kyungsoo sighed and examined his hand that was admittedly looking not to great. The skin was still littered with splinters and it felt tender.

"You should get that checked, Kyungsoo. We can call a doctor, or a healer for you. The healer of Mul?" Jongin looked at him questioningly but Kyungsoo shook his head.

"It'll be okay, it's pretty late by now. I don’t want anyone else to suffer from my stupidity and impulsive behaviour" It was probably close to midnight and the healer from Mul was most likely asleep. Even though he didn’t doubt that she’d get up immediately, Kyungsoo didn’t want her to be bothered for something that he had been the main source of. “A maid can help me rid my hand from the splinters and put some ointment on it.”

The maid that came in shortly after Kyungsoo had called for one wasn’t bothered by their nudity the slightest. None of the servants minded, so used to helping the King get washed up and get dressed in the mornings or at night. What actually caught her attention was the broken table, but for obvious reasons, she didn’t comment on it and quietly pursued her task of ridding Kyungsoo’s hand from the splinters and then cleaning it before wrapping it up with fresh bandages.

Once she’d left, Kyungsoo and Jongin settled in bed again with Kyungsoo pulling Jongin against his chest, a fond expression on his face as he studied Jongin’s expression.

“There’s something on your mind.” He observed.

“There is, actually. I just want you to understand that I lied to you because I didn’t want this thing between us to end. And at some point, it was just too late to tell you the truth. It would’ve ruined everything. I guess it was a selfish thing to do.”

At that, Kyungsoo could only snort. “You’re talking about being selfish? I was the one that was selfish all the time, Jongin. Don’t get it mixed up.” Without thinking, he brushed a stray strand of hair out of Jongin’s face that looked like it’d been just about to slip into the other’s eyes.

In the spur of the moment, Kyungsoo leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Jongin’s forehead. When he pulled away again, he caught the look of wonder on Jongin’s face and it was everything he never thought he would want to see but now knew that he wanted to see it again and again.

Egged on by the feeling spreading in his gut, he leaned in again, this time aiming for Jongin’s lips though. The moment their lips touched, he knew that this was an entirely new level of intimacy.

Jongin hadn't ever kissed Kyungsoo like that. They'd kissed before, even though rarely, but it had always been heated and with a purpose. This time, there was a purpose as well, but not one of sexual desire but solely affection for each other.

Kyungsoo savored the kiss, pulling back with his eyes still closed and a soft smile on his face. "I hope you can learn to like me and not be scared of me."

"I’m not scared of you. I know you’re a good King, a good person. We all make mistakes.” Jongin’s voice sounded tired as he spoke, a yawn escaping him right afterwards.

Maybe it was time to rest for the day.

It didn’t take long for Jongin to fall asleep. Exhaustion had quickly caught up with them, especially with the events of the past half an hour, and the newly promoted personal advisor for military affairs quickly drifted off to sleep in Kyungsoo’s arms.

As Jongin slept, Kyungsoo’s eyes trailed over his plump lips to his pretty nose and beautiful eyes, wondering what he’d down in his previous life to deserve being this close to such an ethereal being. In the end, he pressed another soft kiss to Jongin’s head before drifting off to sleep as well.

When Kyungsoo had woken up this morning, Jongin had already been awake. He’d woken up with the younger man in his arms, cuddling into his embrace even more when he realized that Kyungsoo had awakened from slumber, too. After some sleepy cuddling, they’d eventually got up because Kyungsoo had to attend the negotiations as he did every day and technically, Jongin was supposed to accompany him as well. Especially, with the new position he definitely had to be there when Kyungsoo discussed military changes in their country that would have to happen once they signed the alliance.

"What exactly is... this?" As Jongin helped Kyungsoo get dressed in the traditional clothes of Him, the question kept popping up in his mind. Even though they’d kind of discussed this the previous night, he wanted to her Kyungsoo directly tell him what the two of them had between them.

 Gentle fingers reached out to tilt up Jongin’s chin, making him look up from where he’d been just tying up a belt around Kyungsoo’s midriff.

"I thought I told you yesterday." Large eyes fixated Jongin.

"Yes I mean- you weren't entirely clear about it. I'm your...?" Jongin felt his cheeks heat up, wondering if Kyungsoo could see it.

"You're my right hand now. For military affairs. And other things if you’d like.”

Now that wasn’t what Jongin had wanted to know. The thing that really interested him was their  _ relationship status _ . “I mean… relationship-wise.” Just saying that made his ears burn from heat.

“Oh.” Realization dawned on Kyungsoo’s face. “I was hoping you'd also be my partner?" He asked with slightly raised eyebrows and soft eyes.

Once again, Jongin’s heart did things that couldn’t be too healthy. Even though he’d been hoping for Kyungsoo to say just that, actually hearing it felt surreal and quite overwhelming. Breaking out into a smile, Jongin nodded. "I.. yes okay. I just wanted to be sure about the last part. Because I want that too.”

"I know I never really showed it when we were together, but I like you. I didn't allow myself to show it because I thought you'd never want anything else besides keeping your position in the army." Kyungsoo knew that it might sound crazy, but up until some point he hadn’t allowed himself to see anything else in Jongin besides the physical connection between them. However, eventually the other feelings inside of him that wanted more than just that became stronger and stronger and he just couldn’t ignore them any longer.

The thought of Kyungsoo thinking that he only wanted to be close to him because of his spot in the army was reasonable, but kind of hilarious to Jongin. While it was true that that had been his initial thought, his attraction to Kyungsoo had been there right from the start.

"I guess we were both a little stupid because I always thought you just wanted my body. So we both misinterpreted things. " An awkward laugh escaped Jongin and he decided that it was time to finish tying Kyungsoo’s belt. They definitely didn’t want to run late but before he could get back to it, Kyungsoo gently cupped his face again.

“Let me just clarify this. In the beginning it was like this. Me wanting your body, I mean. But the better I got to know you, the more I realized how much I need someone that keeps me soft and gets me out of my head sometimes. And that someone is you. You can make me feel at ease and on fire at the same time.” He paused, his thumb brushing over Jongin’s plush lips almost absentmindedly. “You hate fighting, that means you look at things in a different perspective for me. You tried to fit into the army, but at the same time you didn’t lose the essence that was purely you. I began to admire you because of that."

The whole time Kyungsoo talked, he was looking into Jongin’s eyes with such an intense look in his eyes that Jongin was in trance. It took him a few seconds to find his voice again as the words sunk in.

"I didn’t know you could be so charming." Jongin ended up saying and almost regretted it until Kyungsoo actually broke out into bubbling laughter.

After that, Jongin finally managed to put the belt on Kyungsoo and it only took them five minutes more until the King was dressed in beautiful shades of blue.

At this point, a maid had to join them to change the bandages on Kyungsoo’s hand. It wasn’t the same one as last night and she was a little shocked to see the state of Kyungsoo’s hand. When she spotted the table though, it only took her a few seconds to put one and two together. After changing the bandages and putting another layer of ointment on his skin, she brought up the idea of requesting for the healer of Mul to take a look at it. However, Kyungsoo was too proud for that.

Since he’d been the one to lose control over his temper and power, he had to be the one to deal with the consequences.  "It hurts, but it was my own fault so I shouldn't cry about it. Time heals wounds, no matter if they’re mental or physical. My body has seen worse, and the pain reminds me that I still have to work on my mental strength. Therefore, I would prefer not to consult the healer. But I appreciate your suggestion.”

Just like that, Kyungsoo dismissed her so that he had a few minutes left with Jongin before they’d have to head to the negotiations.

“I am glad that we finally talked about this. We probably delayed this talk for way too long, but at least we got it figured out now. It makes me happy that I can do this.” Kyungsoo leaned in to press a soft kiss to Jongin’s lips. “Without thinking about it twice.”

“You can do it as much as much as you like, honestly.” Was the only thing Jongin got out before Kyungsoo’s lips were on his again, taking him at his word.

And maybe, Jongin thought as they spent the rest of the time they had left until they had to head to the talks, kissing, he could really get used to this.

"Today marks the one-month anniversary of the beginning of our negotiations!" The large hall where feasts were held in Balam was filled with people of seven different kingdoms. Besides the rulers and their advisors, everyone that had followed them on their journey to Balam had gathered with them to celebrate the occasion.

At the end of the large wooden table where all the Queens and Kings had settled to take their dinner, Sehun was standing with all eyes on him.

"We want to use this evening together to celebrate how far we've come already. There's so much we have already discussed and so much progress has been made, it's alright for us to let loose for a night. So let's eat and have some wine, and tomorrow we'll continue our talks with renewed vigor."

Clapping filled the air, followed by a few calls of approval.

"Well said, King Sehun." The Queen of Mul was sitting a few seats further down the table but Sehun couldn’t help but smile when she sent him an encouraging look. He mouthed a thank you at her and then continued with his little speech. He hadn’t meant to drag this whole procedure out because he didn’t feel that confident in his rhetorical abilities just yet, but he didn’t this to feel rushed either.

"I'll have the food served now." Just when the words had left Sehun’s lips, a flock of waiters came walking into the room and began to serve the first course.  "Tonight, we have a three course menu with typical Balam cuisine."

After everyone had been served their plate, Sehun raised his glass for a quick toast. A choir of voices responded and Sehun took a large gulp of the wine to officially start dinner.

The moment everyone dug into their food, chatter broke out. The chatter of hundreds of people began to feel the large hall, making it hard for Sehun to even understand what the person next to him was talking about.

On his right, Chanyeol had just taken the first bite of a steamed dumpling filled with vegetables while excitedly chatting with Baekhyun who was sitting on Chanyeol’s other side. Ever since the two had finally talked it out, they’d been even more inseparable than before. Before witnessing it, Sehun hadn’t believed that was possible but apparently he’d been wrong about that.

Because he didn’t really feel like third-wheeling, Sehun turned around to check what his brother, who was seated on his left side, was doing. What he saw, however, immediately made his heart rate pick up.

"Hyung, what's wrong?"

With his chopsticks still in his hand, gripping it in an unnaturally tight way, Sehyun was coughing loudly, his free hand moving up to his throat.

"Hyung-" Sehun started but was interrupted by a choked out “Can’t breathe-“ by his brother that sent a wave of shock through Sehun. Only when a splatter of blood hit the table in front of them, Sehun realized that this wasn’t just his brother swallowing the wrong way, but something so, so much worse.

Standing up, Sehun looked around to search for help, Just when the words "Somebody get a doctor, quick!" left his lips, Sehyun slipped from the chair and crashed onto the ground, his head lolling to the side with a trail of blood dripping down the corner of his mouth.

In the matter of seconds, chaos erupted in the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it took me forever to update, but life happened and I couldn't find the time. I hope to finish writing this fic during my holidays so I will try to update more regularly after this month.
> 
> There's a moodboard for this chapter again, of course. You can find it here.
> 
> It would mean a lot to me if you left me a comment about what you thought of this chapter!


	16. Chapter  15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it took me this long, I hope the chapter can make up for it!

_ "Hyung, what's wrong?" _

_ With his chopsticks still in his hand, gripping them in an unnaturally tight way, Sehyun was coughing loudly, his free hand moving up to his throat. _

_ "Hyung-" Sehun started but was interrupted by a choked out “Can’t breathe-“ by his brother that sent a wave of shock through Sehun. Only when a splatter of blood hit the table in front of them, Sehun realized that this wasn’t just his brother swallowing the wrong way, but something so, so much worse. _

_ Standing up, Sehun looked around to search for help, Just as the words "Somebody get a doctor, quick!" left his lips, Sehyun slipped from the chair and crashed onto the ground, his head lolling to the side with a trail of blood dripping down the corner of his mouth. _

_ In the matter of seconds, chaos erupted in the hall. _

__

“Someone call the doctor. We need help.” With a high-pitched voice, Sehun was screaming rather than yelling as he looked around the large hall for help. All the noise didn’t reach him as he fell to his knees beside his brother, pulling his head into his lap to cradle his cheek.

Sehyun was staring up at him, eyes half lidded. There was still blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and when he coughed, more began to spill from his lips, some of it hitting Sehun’s white robes.

“Hyung… Hyung, someone will help you. You need to hold on, yes? Please hold on.” Sehun hadn’t even noticed that tears had started fall, hitting his older brother’s cheeks as he bent over him.

“I need a doctor. Can’t anybody help?” Turning his head around, Sehun’s scream pierced through the air. Everyone’s eyes were on them but Sehun didn’t see it, already looking back down at his brother who was starting to cough again. It sounded wet and disgusting and Sehun’s heart clenched as he saw his sibling’s face contort in pain.

He didn’t realize someone had sunk to their knees beside him. He also didn’t notice when his brother was pulled away from his grip to be laid down on the floor. All he could focus on was the expression in his brother’s eyes and the pain in his heart, the tightness in his chest.

“Hyung… I need you. You’re everything that I have left. I can’t…” He hiccupped, reaching out again for his brother but someone held him back, strong arms wrapping around his upper body to pull him away a little.

Without seeing, just from the touch Sehun could tell that it was Tao.

Next to Sehyun, Yixing had knelt down. The moment the chaos had erupted in the room, she hadn’t immediately realized what was going on. Only when she’d seen the King’s brother on the ground, bloodied, she’d known the root of chaos.

It had taken her a good minute to get to the King’s brother. Even with Junmyeon yelling at everyone that got in her way to ‘Make space for the healer!’, the noise and the disorder had taken a toll on the bystanders.

By the time she could finally push through the last circle of people separating her and the King, Sehyun looked sickly pale.

The moment her hands connected with Sehyun’s chest, she knew that the man had been poisoned.

It didn’t surprise her when Sehun refused to let his brother go at first. The King looked utterly devastated, lost in his own world as he desperately clutched onto his brother who she knew was the last remaining member of his family. She couldn’t blame him, but at the same time she was glad when the royal guard pulled Sehun away, finally allowing her to do her work.

With Sehyun in front of her on the ground, Yixing closed her eyes as she let her fingers wander over his body to find the root of evil within his body. Abruptly, her hands stilled and her eyes scrunched up. There it was.

Taking a deep breath, Yixing focused on the feeling of her power flowing through her limbs, the life running through her veins travelling through the tips of her fingers.

Around them, the room had fallen quiet.

Besides the hushed chatter of a few bystanders, everyone was raptly watching as Yixing stayed completely umoving, her palms touching the King’s brother’s stomach ever so gently.

Sehun was still crying, but it was a silent kind of crying. Quiet tears ran down his cheeks as he watched Yixing, feeling absolutely helpless. Back when his parents had died, nobody had been able to help them. Now, here he was, watching the almost lifeless form of his brother and he was still unable to act. It was then that he realized, that even with a beautiful gift of nature, the crown on his head and an army of thousands to back him up, that when it came down to it, he was still helpless. He was helpless, just like the children in the streets that grew up without their parents. He was helpless, just like the elderly that suffered from old age and diseases, unable to get out of bed on their own. Sehun was helpless, just as helpless as he’d felt as a child when his parents had decided that he was the one to take the crown instead of his brother. And even after all these years, after reading hundreds of books and shooting countless arrows, he couldn’t protect the ones that meant the most to him. In the end, he wasn’t stronger than anyone else on the surface of this earth, and the realization brought new tears to his eyes, hot and burning as he held back a sob.

With quivering lips, Sehun reached out to take his brother’s hand into his palms. Cold sweat made contact with his skin and Sehun almost flinched at the realization of how lifeless his brother really felt.

Yixing was still fully focused on her task at hand. She could slowly feel her powers draining from her but she wasn’t done yet. The poison had been a strong one, definitely able to kill if it had had more time to do its damage, but she knew she could fully heal him, she just needed to hold on a little longer.

It wasn’t anything like Jongdae’s injury. This went beyond broken bones and torn ligaments. A potent venom could do so much damage to the body, ranging from blood clotting to organ failure. If she was being honest, Sehyun could consider himself lucky that she was around. Without knowing the source, it would have been quite hard to find the antivenom, especially with how quickly the poison was working.

She could tell that Sehyun had passed out a minute ago. While she was slowly healing him, she couldn’t deny the strain it was still having on his body so she wasn’t surprised that his mind slipped into unconsciousness.

Just a few seconds longer and Yixing felt the blackness coming for her as well, exhaustion beginning to burrow deep into her bones but there was still a little left and she couldn’t pull away yet.

The moment she moved away, she was already falling.

Behind her, Jongdae had been watching her with rapt attention, immediately catching her as she crashed into his arms.

“Yixing?” He asked, worry written all over his face. Across from them, Sehun had wrestled himself free from where Tao had still been holding him the whole time, first looking at Yixing in worry and then bending over his brother.

“He’s… okay now. Just… sleeping.” Yixing managed to whisper before she passed out, eyes fluttering shut as exhaustion took her.

Murmurs began to erupt in the large hall again, but once again, Sehun wasn’t listening.

He was still holding onto his brother, bending down to listen steady heart beat until someone had to pull him away to take his brother to his chambers to rest.

Even when the hall was empty, everyone back in their rooms after the incident during dinner, Sehun was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling with the sound of his brother’s heart beat still in his ears and only then he could smile, knowing that he was going to be okay.

A day passed before Sehun could talk to his brother. He woke up late in the evening of the following day, still weak but alive. Sehun had already visited Yixing earlier that day who had woken up just a few hours before his brother did, thanking her profusely and offering her whatever she wanted as a thank you. Yixing, in her modesty, hadn’t asked for anything so Sehun had made sure to ask the best taylor in his kingdom to make a dress for her and hired the most talented gold smith to create a necklace and ring for her. Even then, the gifts wouldn’t be able to express his gratefulness, but they were a start.

Sehyun looked pale the whole time Sehun talked to him. His words were quiet, but his palm in Sehun’s hands was warm as they chatted. First thing after Sehun had let the hall be cleared the previous night, he’d sent out soldiers and advisors to check the other food and the kitchen for hints on how the food of his brother could’ve been poisoned.

Like this, Sehun had already found out that the plate had been destined to end up in front of Sehyun for sure. At first, he’d wondered if the attempt on his brother’s life had been a mere accident, that it might have been aimed at him again or maybe even the other rulers. But his brother had received a special dish, one that contained no mushrooms since he did not like them. It had been prepared especially for him and therefore, someone had been aiming to kill nobody but the King’s brother.

Slowly, Sehun was starting to wonder if the attempt on his life hadn’t been solely on him as an individual but if there was someone coming for the Oh-bloodline. The thought made him feel nauseous but when he voiced his thoughts in front of his brother, he wasn’t surprised when his brother agreed that this was actually a a likely scenario.

After about half an hour, Sehyun’s eyes fell shut again and he drifted off to sleep, exhausted from their conversation. Instead of leaving right away, Sehun decided to stay a little longer though, just holding his brother’s hand as he watched him slumber.

Sehyun was the only family he still had and he was going to hold on to him as tightly as he could.

It took his brother a few days to get back into the groove of daily life. The negotiations had picked up again and they were making quite a lot of progress. Song Qian was slowly but surely easing up on her initial demands and they all started to really consider compromises in the favour of forming the alliance. There was no longer a doubt that the alliance would be beneficial to all of them, that much was sure. While there were still a few issues here and there, Sehun was certain that they’d be able to find solutions for them that would satisfy all of the rulers equally.

Until now, there were no clues on how his brother had been able to be poisoned. In the kitchen, nobody knew anything. The cooks, the maids, nobody knew a thing. Not even the guards outside the kitchen or in the halls had seen anything.

The thing was, Sehun believed in the concept of “innocent till proven guilty”. Since there was no clues hinting at any of his servants, maids, cooks, guards or anyone else, there was no use in aimlessly arresting his staff. Some of the other rulers and maybe even his brother thought he was careless, but in the end, he was the king and Sehun really didn’t feel like punishing anyone that didn’t truly deserve it.

"You're really quiet today."

Another day of long negotiations had passed. They’d discussed the sizes of national armies and the possible formation of a united army of soldiers from their kingdoms that day and Sehun was glad that he didn’t have to hear the words “army”, “war” and “military” for the next few hours until it was morning again and he would have to dive headfirst into another round of talks about possible solutions.

Next to him, Tao was lounging on the bed, petting Oracle’s head as the giant feline watched the tiny baby dragon’s attempt to fly. While it was perfectly fine with floating in the air for a few minutes, it quickly became exhausted when the time exceeded ten minutes or more. Right now, the tiny dragon was headed for the table where Sehun had put a bowl with worms and bugs for it after several outcries of  _ “Mommy, I’m hungry.” _ When he’d entered the room earlier. The day after the tiny dragon had hatched, Sehun had come up with a name for it. He’d decided to call it Tian, like one of the dragon’s from the story of the creation of the world Queen Junmyeon had told him the day the little dragon had hatched.

Now, Tian had happily landed on the table, chewing away on a worm. Sehun watched it with a fond smile before he turned his head towards Tao who still hadn’t answered his question, too focused on scratching the base of Oracle’s ears. There was something very soothing about watching Tao and the large cat interact, Sehun thought.

"Am I?" Finally, Tao looked up, his eyes meeting Sehun’s for a moment before they both got distracted by Tian almost setting the worms on fire by breathing out a small gush of fire.

Sehun smiled as he watched Tian looking confused by fire leaving his snout as if it hadn’t happened quite a few times before already. Still, he forced himself to look away to focus on Tao again instead. "Yes. I don't intend to say you're naturally chatty but... Today I had the feeling you were uncharacteristically quiet."

Tao hummed. "I've just been... Thinking a lot I guess."

That took Sehun by surprise.

"Thinking?" He asked, leaning back a little. On Tao’s side of the bed, Oracle let out a silent yawn, her sharp teeth gleaming in the light of the setting sun. "It must have been something interesting to occupy your mind all day then."

"It is, I would say." Tao nodded, as secretive as ever. He couldn’t really tell the King that he’d been thinking about the task to kill him after all.

"Now you're making me curious." Still looking at him, Sehun seemed to have moved a little closer to Tao. The distance between them seemed smaller than before and it did weird things to Tao’s heart that he’d rather not think about.

"It is nothing that would be of interest to you, my King." The guard tried to brush it off. For days now, probably already weeks, the same thoughts had been plaguing his mind. The more time he spent with Sehun, the less he could trust in himself to be able to fulfil his task. It was starting to become a serious problem.

To his luck, Sehun didn’t know the seriousness of his thoughts.

"I told you to call me Sehun." The young King pouted, and Tao found his eyes naturally dropping to the other man’s lips.

"Well, then it is nothing that would be of interest to you,  _ Sehun."  _ The syllables of his name dripped from Tao’s lips like honey and they tasted just as sweet.

A blush crept on Sehun’s face and he quickly looked away. "And here I thought you were going to drop the mysterious attitude." He murmured, running a hand through his hair. The temperature in the room seemed to have risen significantly all of sudden and Sehun resisted the urge to fan himself.

"You think I'm mysterious?" That actually made Tao chuckle. Apparently, he wasn’t that bad of an assassin. If Sehun thought he was mysterious, that was at least  _ something _ . That meant that he didn’t give away his emotions as easily as he was scared he might have been doing.

The question, as light-hearted as Tao had intended it, made Sehun think. "Well, I think you're interesting? Mysterious might not have been the right word. You're too... expressive to be mysterious. Your face is like an open book, I feel like I can see every single change of emotion, however I'm not sure if I can read it. Sometimes, I feel like I'm illiterate. Other times, I'm wondering if I just have to try harder to learn the language of your emotions."

Just when Tao had been about to worry about Sehun saying his face was like an open book, the last part made him halt again. Turning his head, he caught Sehun staring at his profile but this time, the King didn’t look away even when he made eye contact.

"What if I told you my language is very hard to acquire? The syntax has driven many people crazy before."

The sound of his heartbeat was drowning out the noises of the room and Sehun couldn’t really believe that he had the guts to say the next words but he did it either way.

"I doubt that it is only the syntax that made people go crazy about you."

"Sehun..." Tao breathed, and suddenly his face was close, so close.

Only millimetres kept them apart and Sehun could feel the other’s hot breath on his face, his lips and Sehun was sure he would’ve been able to count the other’s lashes if he’d wanted to.

For a moment, the earth seemed to stop moving and Tao wondered if he’d accidentally stopped time. Then, he understood that it was just his heart that made him feel this way.

A cluttering sound from the table made them pull apart in shock before their lips could touch. On the table, Tian had accidentally knocked over the bowl with worms and bugs which now were crawling over the wooden surface, trying to escape from the small but energetic dragon that tried to catch all of them at once.

Sehun, face red and ears hot, had already got up on his feet, halfway across the room before Tao could halfway realize what had almost happened just now. For an assassin, he thought, he really wasn’t the most quick-witted sometimes.

Already picking up the bugs and putting them back into the bowl, Sehun had his back to Tao as he mumbled, more to himself than to Tao.

 "As it stands, I should possibly spend more time on outlining the final paragraphs for the military part of the treaty rather than learning new languages. Or maybe I should clean up the bugs first."

Not sure if he’d been addressed, Tao wasn’t sure if he was supposed to ignore the events from just now or if he should talk to Sehun about it. In the end, he decided to go for the safer option even though his mind was burning with a thousand questions, quite a few of which could be answered with the touch of Sehun’s lips on his own.

 "Are you making progress with the negotiations?" He asked instead, not blind to the look Oracle had shot him just now. The panther had been watching them the whole time, observing quietly. The look in her eyes was knowing and sometimes, Tao wished he could understand her as easily as Sehun did.

 Sehun still had his back to him, most insects back in the bowl. While the King didn’t consume meat, he couldn’t deny Tian a balanced diet. "It's slow, but it's there.“ Sehun replied, his voice clearer than just seconds ago. It seemed as if he’d finally caught himself a little after the incident.

“But remember standstill is worse than dispute. And progress, no matter how slow, is better than rushing things without knowing what lies ahead of you ."

"I have a surprise for you."

Unlike Sehyun, Yixing had felt perfectly fine again after a few hours of sleep after the incident with the poisoning. She’d slept like a log for 14 hours straight, drained from healing the King’s brother. Besides Sehun, Yifan and Junmyeon had also visited her, as well as Jongdae who was currently leading her downstairs and out of the palace of Mipung.

Like the true gentleman Jongdae was, or how he’d like to come off as in front of Yixing, the King of Beongae had invited her on a date. Yet, Yixing still didn’t know what kind of date Jongdae had had in mind. Without any warning, he’d showed up in front of her sleeping quarters and asked if she had time to spend the afternoon with him. The negotiations had finished around noon that day, allowing all the participants to rest and catch their breath.

"A surprise?” Yixing wondered, lifting up her dress so she wouldn’t step on it as she walked down the stairs beside Jongdae. The King had a joyful expression on his face, almost bouncing as he led them to the large portal that connected them to the outside world.

“I would have expected you to say something like that in the confines of your bedroom, but since we're out here, I'm even more curious." Yixing send him a teasing look which resulted in making Jongdae laugh.

"What kind of man do you think I am, Yixing?" He chuckled, not looking dissatisfied with the statement at all though.

"A playful one."

The sun blinded them the second they stepped outside, birds chirping above their heads. The air was warm with the beginnings of an inviting summer evening. A soft breeze caressed their faces, softly blowing through Yixing’s hair, tousling it a little.

Jongdae had stopped walking for a second and watched as Yixing straightened down her dress. "I guess I can't deny that." He hummed, reaching out to brush away the stray strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Letting out a soft laughter, Yixing stare up at the sky. "I'm alright. Still a little tired but I've rested enough. I was starting to feel bored already, so your invitation was very welcomed by me." It seemed like no one really believed her just yet that she was alright, but the fact that Jongdae seemed to care so much did charm her a little.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. To say that I was shocked when you passed out next to the King's brother was an understatement."

"Every gift has a weakness, Jongdae. Mine is just a little more obvious." Jongdae sent him a glance. The words weren’t meant to be offensive, and she knew the King would most likely not take them personally either way.

"It is quite ironic that you feel worse the more you make others feel better." They had reached the gates of the palace. Behind them, a few guards of Beongae were following them in a respectable distance, allowing them some privacy while they strolled through the palace yard.

"I'm glad it only relates to my gift. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had as much fun the other night." Yixing couldn’t resist a smile and with pleasure, she noticed Jongdae’s cheeks colouring.

"You know how to play a man, don't you? Who's the playful one now?" He laughed. It took her by surprise when he laced their fingers together in public just a moment later but she certainly didn’t want to pull her hand away either.

"Where are you taking me?" Up until now, Yixing still had no clue where Jongdae was leading her. While she’d hoped for a few hints from Jongdae or their surroundings, she still couldn’t guess what Jongdae had in mind. His words of a surprise had been too specific to be him taking her out on a walk through the gardens of the palace. Also, they were headed in the opposite direction of the royal gardens of Balam.

"I assume you haven't been to the fields to the side of the palace yet?" The mention of the fields caught her attention and Yixing shook her head.

"No? Should I have been?"

Reaching the gates, a beautiful cart was waiting for them. Yixing recognized it to be the one that had been in Jongdae’s following the day she’d went with a troop of Balam soldiers to heal his injury.

"Not necessarily, no." Jongdae shook his head and proceeded to help her to climb into the cart.

"Why are we headed there then?"

As soon as they’d both taken seat inside, Yixing being surprised by how comfortable it actually was, all she received as an answer was a lopsided smile from Jongdae.

"It's all part of the surprise."

"It's... beautiful."

The ride to the fields besides the palace of Balam hadn’t taken longer than about a quarter of an hour. At first, Yixing had wondered if Jongdae had taken her here to see the beauty of the large fields filled with wildflowers in all shapes and colours, a wonderful smell filling her nostrils as soon as they stepped out of the cart.

Only when she walked around the cart, she spotted the real reason Jongdae had taken her out here.

A pristine white unicorn was grazing on the meadow, surrounded by thousands of flowers in countless colours. A horn, pearl-ish in colour, protruded from its head, immediately drawing Yixing’s attention to it. The white hairs of the mane was partially braided into little braids. Yixing had to resist the urge to bend down and pick up a few flowers to stick them into the braids. She didn’t doubt it’d look beautiful.

Once again, Jongdae reached for her hand without hesitation. Leading her to the stunning creature, he encouraged her to reach out, petting the strong, muscular neck of the horned horse..

"He is, isn't He? His name is Yeon." Jongdae watched her as she petted the unicorn gently, nothing but awe and admiration in her eyes. “It means ‘lotus’. I thought one of the most beautiful flowers would be a suitable name. He’s the stallion to my pregnant mare. Her name is Jangmi, which stands for ‘rose’.”

The act of naming them after beautiful flowers appeared fitting to Yixing. There was just something about the unicorn that divided it from normal horses besides the actual horn. It seemed like there was some magical aura surrounding it, luring her in with it’s beauty.

"Ever since I was a child, I've heard fairy tales about unicorns. Never did I imagine that I’d be seeing one of them in person. They're magical beings, symbols of innocence and beauty." Yixing mumbled. Bending down, she picked up a flower and carefully inserted it into one of the braids.

"I could almost say the same about you. Minus the innocence maybe." Next to her, Jongdae had bent down as well. When he straightened up, he was holding a daisy between his fingertips and for a second she thought Jongdae would add the flower into Yeon’s mane but then he reached out for her instead, tucking it behind her ear.

"Oh shut it." She couldn’t help but giggle.

"I apologize sincerely." Even though Yixing doubted that Jongdae really meant that, she couldn’t hold it against him.

"How about it? Let's go for a ride?”

In shock, Yixing turned her head.

"Do you really ride them? I feel unworthy." For some reason, just the thought of sitting on the unicorn made her feel like she could break it even though it didn’t look fragile at all. If anything, Yeon appeared to be of impeccable health and formidable strength. Still, Yixing wasn’t sure.

Jongdae, however, wasn’t having any of it. "You really do not have to worry." He attempted to soothe her, resting a hand on her back. It slid down until it was resting on the small of her back, just above her waist.

"Are you sure?" Yixing asked, glancing at the white unicorn in front of them. Yeon had returned to grazing, currently munching on the pretty flowers surrounding them.

"I am." Jongdae’s line of sight had followed hers and they were both watching as the bud of a daisy disappeared into Yeon’s mouth.

"Well... How could I say no then?"

They spent the rest of the afternoon riding over the wildflower fields. Only when their stomachs began to rumble and the sun was beginning to set, did the two decided to head back. In the cart on their way to the palace, Jongdae was back to holding her hand, both of them looking out of the window as they passed the last outskirts of the colourful fields.

"So, is this..." Yixing started but then stopped for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "… your way of trying to convince me to join you in your kingdom?"

"I don't know?" Jongdae squeezed her hands as he tore his eyes away from the beautiful scenery outside to look at her instead. "Well... Is it working?"

"Well, what do you think?”

 The smile Yixing sent him was all Jongdae needed to know.

At about the same time Yixing and Jongdae headed out for their date at the wildflower fields, Luhan was strolling through the castle. Initially, she’d been planning on spending the afternoon with Minseok but her wife had fallen asleep the moment her body had hit the bed. Quite frankly, Luhan couldn’t blame her. For the past few nights, Minseok had barely slept. Up all night and working on rereading the contract formulations the rulers had put together, Minseok had spent the hours until the late morning to check that everything was working out in the favour of not only the alliance but also her people as well. Together with her advisors (and Luhan as well, but she no longer attended the negotiations and therefore used the mornings to sleep in) they looked for mistakes and loopholes in the treaty that they would have to discuss again in the negotiation talks.

Like this, Luhan found herself walking through the long corridors of the palace of Mipung, bored out of her mind. Originally, she’d meant to search for the palace kitchen but she’d quickly decided that now was the time to explore the large palace. It seemed bigger than the palace of Gyeoljeong.

Back in Eoleum, the palace of its capital Gyeoljeong was as majestic as the palace in Mipung, although quite a bit more compact. There weren’t nearly as many sleeping quarters for guests, mainly since not many went astray and found their way to Eoleum. The climate of the country that lay the most southern of the seven kingdoms served to keep people away from it, even though its inhabitants were known for their warm personalities.

The palace of Gyeoljeong was kept in mainly cool tones. Stone walls guarded the home of the Kim bloodline that reminded more of a castle rather than a palace. Nevertheless, everyone that entered the large entrance hall of the palace of Gyeoljeong was overwhelmed by the intricate relief art decorating the high ceilings, coupled with the collection of life-size sculptures of the founders of the royal family that lined the way to the throne made of ice. Only the member of the Kim bloodline that carried the gift of ice control were able to sit on the throne. Minseok’s innate magic, and even though she wasn’t there right now, kept the throne alive and the ice as solid as ever, not a single crack in the surface.

The palace of Balam carried a different aura. While Gyeoljeong was littered with blue and white hues, the palace of Mipung carried all sorts of colours, the most prevalent one being green though. As Luhan walked down the corridors, light flooded through the large windows lining the way, highlighting the intricate paintings of flowers and animals on the wall. Only now that she looked more closely, she realized that it was actually a mural, probably telling one of the many stories from Balam mythology.

Drawn in by the detailed artwork, Luhan slowed down her steps as she examined the piece while walking down the hallway. She hadn’t realized that she’d reached the end of it which also turned out to be a dead end. There was a single door at the end of the corridor and to Luhan’s surprise, it was slightly ajar.

Assuming that it was an entrance to another hallway, she stepped closer and reached for the handle, pulling it open.

In front of her, a large room stretched out. The door had, in fact, not led into another hallway but straight into a large room, almost two times the size of her and Minseok’s bedroom back home in Eoleum.

Just after one glance, Luhan knew that she probably shouldn’t be there. The room didn’t seem like it belonged to anyone in particular, it was neither a bedroom nor a dining space, but it rather reminded her of a museum. On small tables or shelves, artefacts of various sizes were arranged and displayed. To her right, a large golden harp was gleaming in the light of the sun that fell through the coloured window, tinting the room in speckles of colours. Even though she hadn’t even been supposed to find the room, Luhan couldn’t help but take another step into the room.

Curiosity had always been one of her virtues. Finding a room full with interesting instruments and artefacts, Luhan certainly wasn’t going to leave without getting a quick look first. As far as she knew, nobody had been in or near the hallway with the pretty mural and there hadn’t been any other doors so the chances of having a surprise visitor were rather low.

Stepping closer to the harp, Luhan examined it closely. It seemed to be made purely out of gold. It looked solid, but there were fine carvings spread out over the whole of the surface, inducing the itch to touch but Luhan restrained herself.

Next, she walked over to one of the shelves on the walls. There were several instruments that Luhan couldn’t quite place. Upon closer inspection, she could see drawings of the sun and the moon etched into their surface so she figured they might be used in astronomy.

Next to the shelves, a box was placed on a small table right beneath a window. At first, she’d believed it to be empty but at second glance, Luhan spotted the shells of what must have been a really large egg inside. Memories of the Queen of Mul gifting Sehun a dragon egg resurfaced and Luhan realized that this had to mean that the dragon had actually hatched already.

Without really intending to, Luhan spent the next half an hour looking at the things that were displayed in the room, completely forgetting about the time.

When she reached the large desk at the back of the room, Luhan stilled.

There, in the middle of the wooden table rested another box, not unlike the one that had carried the dragon eggs. And inside, it carried the most beautiful gemstone she had ever laid her eyes on.

In another part of the castle, Sehun had just received a letter. The seal was foreign to him and he tore it open without thinking about it twice, his eyes scanning the short message.

_ A present awaits you in the Room of History. _

His eyebrows furrowed in surprise, suddenly wishing he hadn’t ripped the seal apart so carelessly.

The gemstone gleamed in the light, reflecting and breaking it into a million specks of colours, a thousand times more beautiful than the coloured glasses of the windows could ever be. Never before in her life had Luhan seen a gemstone like this. It wasn’t a diamond nor a sapphire, it didn’t have the blood red colour of a ruby or the deep green of emerald. No, it was of a crystalline colour that seemed to carry all colours at the same time, depending how the light fell on it. It reminded Luhan a little of moon stone, but it wasn’t quite the same.

What drew her in most was the way the crystal seemed to glow from within. The light orbs from Bul came to her mind as she stared, wondering if she was just imagining the pulsation of light inside the gemstone.

Luhan didn’t realize that he was reaching for it but when she noticed what she was doing, it was too late already. Her fingers made contact with the surprisingly cold surface of the stone and suddenly, she knew she’d made a huge mistake.

For a moment, Luhan was frozen to the spot, unable to move. Motionlessly, she had to watch as spears of ice grew from the ground beneath her, melding into thick walls that shot up towards the ceiling only to close above her, sealing her in.

The moment the ice closed above her head, Luhan was suddenly able to move again. Immediately, she started hammering against the solid surface of the ice walls that imprisoned her, but there wasn’t even the hint of a crack visible.

It was then when the cold started to seep through her clothes, and unlike her wife, Luhan wasn’t immune to it. It took about five minutes until she was starting to shiver from the stark change of temperature. Up until then, she’d tried every imaginable thing possible. Scratching the walls, hitting them, trying to heat them up with her breath or her body. Luhan had even used her power, one that only a handful of people knew of, to throw one of the armchairs in the room against her ice prison. Yet, to no avail.

Sinking down to her knees, Luhan wrapped her arm around herself to keep her body temperature up. By now, she’d realized that her chances of getting out of this situation on her own were going towards zero, just like the temperature.

And with growing despair, she began to pray that someone would look for her and find her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can find the moodboard for Baekhyun here!


End file.
